New Asauchi
by Necromancy101
Summary: AU. Ichigo and many of his friends are killed. He has to work his way from the ground up to become a proper Shinigami at the Spiritual Arts Academy in order to save his Hollowfied friends.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Yep, definitely don't own Bleach. This work is fan made and not for profit. Note that this an AU and premise will become clear as the story unfolds.

Few Notes:

First off, we've got the warnings. There will be character death. That's the whole premise of the story. Ichigo dies and has to become a proper Shinigami/Soul Reaper, not some substitute half-umpteen different things character, which changes the whole dynamic of the story and the development of his powers. Remember, his inner Hollow is Zangetsu (sorta) and all that. Not being part Hollow in the beginning shifts some things. Other characters die as well. No one is safe in this story, cannon and OC characters alike, and there will be plenty of OCs to fill out the world.

Second, characters will be developed beyond what is presented in the series, particularly in the area of romance, which isn't something that is really done at all by Bleach's creator, who has professed no interest in writing romance. I am being vague on the pairings on purpose. I want it to be a surprise, which may hurt my readership considering that is a big advertising point, but I think it's worth it not to create that kind of expectation and let there be a little mystery to it. "Mystery box" as J. J. Abrams would say.

Third, there will be plenty of OC characters, and they will be developed as if they are cannon characters, complete with their own set of virtues and flaws.

Fourth, I find the whole DBZ style extreme power levels thing goes beyond ridiculous in Bleach (like it did in DBZ) and renders less powerful character obsolete. Power matters here, and bankai/shikai stuff works the same, but I'm going to write this a little bit more realistically. I hesitate to use that word because none of it is really realistic. Balanced is a better word. Power levels are not the be-all-end-all, and I have no interest in "aha, I'm more powerful than you" style conversations characters tend to have in Bleach. If a Hollow snuck up behind a sleeping captain and kill him, the captain is dead, no matter who they are or how powerful. Yes, high spiritual pressures can protect the character to a degree, but surprise and skill will matter in this story, and everything is a threat to every character. That way non-captains have a reason to exist other than to say "Goodness, Captain What's-His-Name is awesome" and all that. I find the logic behind the power levels of Bleach to be too much for me to accept, so they are adjusted to the point where I can accept that a world can still exist with them in it.

Five: This is an AU. Things don't happen as they do in the Soul Society arc. Aizen plays the long game and a lot shifts because of that.

Just making sure you know what you're getting into.

Chapter 1

(Ichigo POV)

Cool concrete kissed my shredded cheek. Blood seeped from me by the second and warmth along with it. The intense pain from moments before was now a dull throb.

I lacked the energy to so much as raise my head. The shattered remnants of my zanpakto lay beside me.

"Ichigo," a familiar voice said. Something was wrong with it though. It was soft now, lacking its usual hard, mocking edge.

I managed to look up. The gash on my head was bleeding into my eyes, so I couldn't see shit. Damn it that stings. I used what little strength I have left to wipe it away, then my hand fell to the pavement with a wet slap. I finally got a look at her though even as more bleed trickled down towards my eyes. "Rukia."

"Don't speak," the black haired girl said, leaning forward from her kneeling position. She was wearing her Shinigami garb for the first time since we met that night in my house. "How do you feel?"

My laugh was stifled by a fresh gargle of either bile or yet more of the red shit that my body had to be running out of. "If I can't speak, I can't tell you how I feel. Dumbass."

She forced a smile onto her face. I think her eyes were tearing up. There was a warble in her voice when she spoke again. "You idiot. If you have the strength to complain, you'll be fine."

"I work at a clinic. We both know that isn't true." Wow, I was getting out full sentences.

Rukia flinched. "This is my fault," she whispered. "Had I not come none of this would have happened."

"Don't be stupid. If you hadn't come…" I couldn't finish. My head dropped to the ground.

"Hang on, Ichigo." Rukia held out her hands and began to chant another of her Kido. A golden light projected from her hands and I felt warmth spread over my body. Was this some sort of healing technique? Only recently had she really started to get her powers back. I wonder if that meant mine had also been fading. I hadn't felt a difference.

"Help the others," I managed to say.

"Ichigo." There's that tremble in Rukia's voice again. "There's no one left to help."

"What?"

"They're all dead. Every one of them."

I'd failed. All of this was for nothing.

"I'm so sorry, Ichigo."

I couldn't answer.

"We stopped them though. Karakura Town will be safe."

"Til next time. They'll be coming back. You said it yourself. This place, there's something about it that draws shit here. Next time who will stop them."

"We will. You will."

The cold was beginning to swallow the warmth from Rukia's kido. Whatever she was doing, it wasn't enough. I think the pavement was the only thing holding my innards inside. No way this was going to end well.

"Not next time."

"Don't you dare give up, coward."

She was trying to make me angry. Nice try. I didn't have it in me anymore. "Rukia. Promise me. My family. Protect them."

"Protect them yourself."

"Listen to me." I knew it was stupid. Maybe I was even shortening my already short life, but death would be coming either way I needed to make her understand. I needed her to listen, so I rolled over.

Rukia gasped. She couldn't ignore the evidence of her eyes.

Well, at least now gravity was working for me rather than against me as it did when my open wounds faced downward. "Now will you listen."

I could see the muscles of her face tense as she nodded.

"You have to protect them."

"Protect them yourself," she said again.

"Shut up."

"No you shut up. There's another way. Ichigo, you're dying, but this isn't the end. I owe you so much. I'll find you when you pass over. I'll find you in Soul Society."

"Can that be done?" Soul Society was a big place. Rukia had already confided in me most people were never reunited with their loved ones.

I could see the doubt. You have someone live with you long enough and you begin to know what each little expression means. She was trying to put on a brave face though. "Yes. What you did that first night, there's no way you don't have strong enough spiritual energy to stand out on the other side. The Shinigami are always looking for people strong enough to join them. If I don't find you someone else will. We'll meet again."

I tried to answer, but I couldn't. Dying sort of reminded me of that time I got my wisdom teeth removed. They put the IV in, it burned for a while, then the pain went away. You're still conscious for a time, then you slip away without ever realizing you did in the first place. I expected death to be worse than that. The last thing I remember was Rukia chanting a new incantation, perhaps one helping me on my way.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Oh boy, I wish I could actually explain to you what happened immediately after I died, but the honest answer is I can't quite remember. I know a lot occurred in that interim. I didn't just happen to appear in Soul Society, but it is like my mind blotted out that interim. Maybe that's for the best, I don't know, but I did find myself on the other side eventually. That's when my mind, as I recognized it, began to work like it should.

I was laid out on my back again, though this time soft soil rested under me instead of concrete. Thank goodness for that. There was also a distinct lack of pain. Fuck, I'd almost forgotten what it was like not to be hurting somewhere on my body. I sat up and righted my view of the world. Huh, who would have thought that the afterlife had a blue sky and clouds. Then again, I had been rather dubious on the whole having a body thing after death, but I sure seemed to have one now so there, I was wrong about something.

The view wasn't great. I think I was in an alley between two wooden buildings. In a way, I'd gone from being one sort of street trash to another. Got to admit, I found that sort of funny. It was the humor of the damned, designed to wash away my shame and the images of my last moments on earth. I could still picture Orihime's limp form in the mouth of that hollow, blood flowing out of her mouth, with Tatsuki still attempting to save her. Chad being sucked under the horde of smaller hollows from behind, blood spurting into the air as their little spines and teeth bit into his flesh. I would never forget that bloody day. Damn it, none of them ran when I told them to. They tried to help me. They died for it. Yeah, I really was fucking trash. I failed them all. Dying once wasn't enough for that.

Then it hit me. They died. They might be in Soul Society. Rukia told me it was more likely for friends and family to find each other if they died around the same time. I needed to find them. I couldn't make my failure right, but I could protect them here. Spirits could die just the same as living people, and they'd be in a world completely unknown to them.

I scrambled for the alley's exit and found myself in a marketplace filled with stalls and people. It was framed by wooden shacks on all sides. The ones on the right reminded me of European style farm houses, whereas the ones on the left looked like they'd been shit out of a Kurosawa samurai flick with an extra helping of mud. Don't know why, but the diversity of the people in the marketplace astounded me. I don't know what I expected to see, but I'd spent all of my life in Japan and as far as I could tell Rukia was also Japanese. Maybe I thought Soul Society would also be filled with people of similar heritage. Duh, idiot. Turns out the world is filled with people who look different from you. There were people of all kinds here, from the blond haired blue eyed Germanic type dude trying to purchase a putrid pink tunic to the group of people chatting amongst themselves who had to have been from the Indian subcontinent. A smiling black man jostled me as he passed by and gave me a polite apology. In fact, I think I was the only Japanese person on that street. Newsflash dumbass, there are people in the world different from yourself. Guess I just hadn't expected that.

The second big surprise in store for me was the fact I understood everyone as they passed me by chatting to a companion or bartering with a shop keeper. Now I don't think it very likely all these dead people from different times and parts of the world all spoke my language, but I understood every word I heard. Maybe it was a sort of Soul Society magic or something. I guess there'd have to be some way for people to communicate with each other or there'd be utter chaos with dead people from everywhere thrown about willy nilly in this afterlife. Maybe it's like the Dr. Who Tardis; you know, the blue box thing from that show that is the only export from Britain other than Harry Potter that everyone seems to know. I think it translates everything for the characters.

The stalls and clothes were like a blast from the past. There was not a single microwave, cellphone or TV in sight. Even the clothes were like something out of the Edo period. Well, maybe a little bit further ahead than that. Damn, if I'd paid attention more in history class I could probably tell you the specifics, but it was all old and foreign to me. Again, not all of it was Japanese in origin, at least not as far as I could tell. There was one dude going by dressed in furs like some barbarian and another in what looked to me like a toga. Nothing looked like it came out of Calvin Klein as far as clothes went. None of those stalls sold food either. Sure there were a lot that sold water, but nothing as far as food went.

I didn't have time to ponder that. I needed to find the others. I started weaving through the crowd, looking for any familiar face. I got that same feeling that comes with adrenaline pumping. Don't know if my body really had adrenaline now or some spiritual equivalent, but the reaction was the same. The familiar fear that comes from a friend in danger came upon me. I found myself calling out their names. Sick thing is, not too many of the people around me paid me much attention. They glanced at me, but didn't say anything or try to stop me. How many times have they seen this sort of thing? Some new soul that thinks they can find friends or loved ones by shouting for them in a panic. This must be an old show to a lot of them.

What really amped up the fear to me was when I got to the edge of the market place and saw a body hanging from a cross. I don't know how long he'd been left there, but someone had damn well crucified the poor bastard. Next to the cross was some sort of graffiti. Maybe the name of a local street gang if this place was anything like my home. Bellatorum. That was the name. There was also a word carved on the chest: snitch. Didn't take a brainiac to figure out what that was about.

Damn, how brutal was this place that someone gets nailed up there like this and no one takes them down? Whenever Rukia described it Soul Society sounded like a paradise. Then again, she was usually describing it to scared spirits she was about to send there. How much of that was a lie? Come to think of it, if everyone that doesn't do enough shit sick to wind them up in hell comes here then there is no way this place could be paradise. Think about it; the bigotry, the hatred, the cultural differences, all of that is still there, plus a lot of very upset people that were expecting paradise, nothing, or at the very least something really different than what was waiting for them after they died. So now they no there's no divine reward for good behavior keeping them in check. Add in the fact that most lovers and families might never be reunited and you've got a powder keg of resentment. Lots of people come into this world with nothing and they don't have families already here to provide for them, so there's probably a lot of desperation too.

That was when I broke out into a run, dashing down street after street, calling the names of every one of my friends who died, heedless of the looks I kept getting. I don't know how long I did that for, but the city seemed to be endless. No surprise there, it's the afterlife for virtually all human beings on the planet, and some of them could be hundreds of years old, so it's going to be big, but I lost all sense of direction. There was a sun there though and it was beginning to set after what had to be hours. I still hadn't found a single one of them. Fuck, shouldn't they have ended up somewhere near me? Maybe by going in one direction I'd messed everything up because they had been near me and I just put more distance between us. There was no way I could find my way back. I didn't know where I'd been.

It was after my shouts had become little more than hoarse cries that I heard a response. It was a garbled call, but it was just as panicked and desperate as mine. I went for it, calling out the name that had earned me a response. "Tatsuki!" I repeated it over and over. Then I found the source of the voice.

It was bronze skinned blond guy. He was calling out the name of a woman. When he spotted me the hopeful look on his face fell into one of anguish. His cheeks were wet with the signs of tears. Without a word to me he kept on running. He didn't spare me another look. He was shouting again after a few strides.

My throat burned, my sides and chest hurt. I hadn't been running the whole time. Doing that would have killed me back when I was alive. As it was now, I still felt like I was going to die. I was thirty, hungry and alone. There was probably a currency in this world, and I didn't have any of it. Maybe there was some sort of system in place to help down on their luck new arrivals. Maybe. Not very likely. No one stopped me once in all this time. I was getting the impression I'd ended up in a dog eat dog world.

Hunger. Thirst. Pain. Yep, checks on all those. I don't know if I need food or not, but I used to see Rukia eat, drink, and nap, so unless someone told me otherwise, I'm going to do all of those. Spirits could be destroyed or killed. That much I knew. I don't know what it would take, but I'm going to play it safe and assume anything that would kill me before could kill me now. I had to survive first so I could find the others. Food and water. I would get those next. I could figure out the rest later.

I started to look around for anything that might lead me to either. Maybe if I found one of those markets I could work out a deal, work for food and drink. That is if any of them had food. None of the ones I'd spotted so far did. If I felt hunger here then that meant someone else did, so there had to be a way to find food. Water could be taken care of if I found a stream or anything like that. Would I need to boil the water or was bacteria even a thing here? Spirit germs. That didn't sound like fun at all. If I could, I would. Better safe than sorry for now. Who ever thought I'd be the one fucking saying that? I couldn't take risks right now though. Too many people were counting on me for that.

I passed by rows of houses. There were fewer and fewer people on the street as it got dark. Soon there were none at all. Now, Karakura Town didn't have much of a night life, but even then there were some people were out after dark. Their complete absence did not bode well. I decided I would head for the parts of town that looked to have the most lights. That seemed the best bet I had.

A sound caught my attention and diverted me from my plans. Laughter. There were a lot of people laughing. That alone wasn't a bad thing, but the way they were laughing sounded off to me. It was like those bastards who beat Chad with a rock and tried to torture him. They'd made the same sort of cruel tittering noise. The reaction of my body was instinctive, and the anger that welled up in me primal. I'd just promised myself I wouldn't take needless risks, but I stalked out towards the sound.

The scene before me might have been one from a different world, but it was familiar enough to me. Eight guys surrounded two other figures, both of them on the ground. They were laughing and joking with each other, and between comments they would kick one or the other. Against the wall there were several riding bicycles. Yes, bicycles. Not horses, not motorcycles, this gang operated on something I learned to ride at age twelve. The only things sillier would have been unicorns or pigs. What killed any chance of mocking laughter were the two crude crosses leaning against one of the wooden buildings near the scene. There was a hammer and pile of big nails the size of pitons. Those couldn't be meant for anything good.

Naturally, I did the only thing a person with common sense wouldn't do when faced with this sort of scenario. "Hey, hold you fucking losers," I called out.

They stopped alright, all eight of them turning to look at me. Each one of them had a tattoo of a gladius on some part of their body, with several of them bearing multiple other tatts.

"What did you say?" The one that said that had his sword tattoo over skin round his eye.

"You talking to us?" Another much bigger one said that. This second one had the tattoo on his stomach. That must have hurt.

The two clichés gave me an unexpected feeling of warmth and nostalgia. This more than anything else felt familiar here. I was no longer an alien in a strange new world. This was just like back at home, and I wasn't looking at spirits of dead people, I was just facing down another group of little sadistic, cranky ass bitches. No problem.

"What do you think you all or doing?" I had to meet cliché with cliché right. It was tradition.

"Something that ain't none of your business."

"What did those two do?" Did it really matter? Who deserved to be beaten and then crucified.

"They stole food from us," said the one with the eye tatt.

"Maybe they were hungry. You ever think of that?"

All of the guys laughed. "A lot of people are hungry." One said.

"You must be new, so let me explain it to you," Eye-tatt seemed to be a sort of leader. "Everyone in Soul Society likes to eat. It's a wonderful luxury that makes you strong, but they won't die if they don't get it. Well, most of them won't. Only those with strong spirits needs it. I mean, we're reasonable men, right boys? We wouldn't beat poor thirsty orphans if they wanted water or nothing, but these guys stole a luxury good from us. That's just insulting. They need to be taught some manners."

"Maybe they're the sort that will starve to death. Ever think of that?"

"If they were, then they shouldn't be little pussies. Either way, it won't be their problem anymore."

"I'm about to be your problem," I said without thinking. Yep, I was in it now.

"Gupta, show this little prissy boy we mean business. If he runs fast, maybe he won't go on a cross like the others."

The guy with the stomach tatt smiled and started forward. He was reaching out for me when I made my move. I ducked under him fast, struck him in the stomach, and when he doubled over in pain I grabbed his head and drove me knee up into it twice. Then I brought my elbow down on the back of his head. Dude went down. He didn't get back up.

The remaining seven stared at me in quiet silence.

"Unless I miss my guess, he was the biggest of you, wasn't he?" I smile. This felt good. I wasn't a bully by nature. At least I don't think so. If I was then I was only a bully to other bullies. Guess that's sort of the same as being a bigot that hates bigots or a thief who steals from thieves. It wasn't right, but at least as an ideal it made me feel superior even if I really wasn't.

"Dumbass, in case you can't count, there are still seven of us. Now you're going up on that cross for sure."

"What, you need your boys' help to take a shit too? Why don't you step up here and we'll see who can do more than talk tough?"

This was the make or break moment. I'd been in this sort of situation before, so let me tell you how it goes. Taking on the group isn't going to go well. That doesn't mean I haven't done it before, but in that case survival is a victory in and of itself. My best shot is taking out the lead guy and using that to intimidate the others, and if I can isolate him, I can beat him. I've called him out and threatened his ego and status in front of his friends. If he's smart, he can come up with a sarcastic comment or joke that plays it off then he'll sic his boys on me. If he's dumb, he'll try to prove he's tough and come at me one on one.

Turns out he was dumb. "Stay back boys. I'll show you how it's done. I'll nail this one up myself." As he approached, he bent and picked up the hammer. He pulled out a knife with the other hand. Okay, dumb but well-armed. He didn't rush in at me. He approached in a slow, cautious manner. "Do you know who you're messing with? We are the Bellatorum: the warriors!"

I wonder why the word Bellatorum didn't immediately translate in my mind. Maybe because it was a proper name. I guess that made sense, otherwise names from different languages and cultures would probably translate too into the equivalent version of the listeners own.

The fight began when we started to circle each other. I kept my hands out on either side to stay balanced, and so that I could intercept an attack with either weapon. I didn't have to wait long. He rushed me with the knife first. I thought it was a feint to test me, but it turned out to be a real strike. I only just got out of the way, the blade slicing into my shoulder. Turns out people in the spirit world can bleed. The red liquid seeped down my shoulder. Eye-tatt swung the hammer around with his other arm.

I had to reach out to catch him at the wrist before he could build up too much momentum. This put us into a sort of stalemate, but a lopsided one as my injury and his weapons would push things over to his favor too quickly.

He pushed forward, trying to get at me with either arm that I now held back.

I brought my knee up to strike him in the stomach. I succeeded, making him grunt, but he was able to push forward while I was still on one leg. We both crashed to the ground, him on top of me. I lost my grip on his knife arm, which meant the blade was soon used against me again, slipping between two of my lower rips.

"Not so tough now, are you."

Yet another thug cliché made me grin, despite the situation. "Dude, are all of your lines ripped from Disney movie henchmen?" Out of the corner of my eye I spotted the pile of piton-like nails. They were within reach, and I had a free hand now.

"Fuck you." He tried to pull the knife out, but it didn't come out all the way. It was caught on my ribs.

It hurt, don't get me wrong, but the mishap brought me just enough time to seize one of the nails and attack blindly with it. The metal found one of his big blue eyes and dug in deep, as in like two or three inches deep.

Eye-tatt screamed and rolled off of me. He tried to regain his feet, but he stumbled in his mindless agony, falling forward to the ground. The result was gruesome. The fall drove the nail the rest of the way in with a wicked squelch.

The Bellatorum and I stared at the horrific sight for a few moments. Then I got to my feet. I had to make good on this moment even as a sense of numbness descended upon me. I'd just killed someone. I'd never killed someone before. All the hollows I defeated were simply purified and sent to the Soul Society. This guy was really dead. I hadn't actually intended to strike such blow. I couldn't mope about it though. I grabbed the knife and worked the blade out. Fuck that hurt. I didn't cry out. Their expressions told me the effect that had.

"Who is next," I said, holding up the knife.

They were gone, leaving their little bikes behind. Gupta followed, though in a different direction. I wonder if I'd hit him so hard he couldn't tell left from right.

"That's what I thought."

"Who are you?" Said one of the two would-be victims as they got up off of the ground. One of them was a big guy with back hair I could have sworn was Chinese. The other, shorter guy was dark skinned and had his head shaved close. I say shorter because he was smaller than his compatriot. He was about as tall as I was.

"Names Ichigo Kurosaki. I guess you could say I'm the new guy on the block. What about you two?"

"Names Xiao Lee," said the big guy.

"Caleb Nwosu," said the other. "You're hurt."

"Don't worry. I know how to handle it. My family ran a clinic. You wouldn't happen to have some bandages though, would you?" I said that while still bleeding from my wounds.

"Could use his clothes," Xiao Lee said, walking right past me to the fallen form of Eye-tatt. "I could rip off a few pieces for you."

"Rather use my own. They don't have someone else's blood on them. There are such things as blood transmitted diseases." At least, I thought there were. Were there here? The same potential problems existed if either Lee or Caleb ripped off a piece of their clothes. Theirs had fresh blood stains too.

"Suit yourself," Xiao Lee muttered with a shake of his head. "No food on this one. Got his coin though." He held up a small bag of money. I knew it was money cause I heard it jingle.

Caleb came over to me and started to help me rip off my sleeve to serve as a bandage. "We can use that to get more. What about you, Ichigo, do you want some food?"

"He's obviously new, Caleb. He doesn't know if he needs to eat or not. Why waste it on him we're sure."

"He saved us, Xiao. He didn't have to. I think that earns him a share."

"Whatever."

"Yeah, I'm new." I said. "But I'm also pretty hungry." I winced as I began to tie the bandage around the more serious of the two injuries. I'd need better than this soon. "I'm from Japan. Kind of died not too long ago."

"I guessed from the name," Caleb gave me a smile. "Though I thought it was a girl's name. Am I wrong?"

I felt a familiar anger return. "Don't fuck with me about my name."

Caleb got the hint. "Hey, no offense meant. I'm from London."

"What about you, Xiao? China right?"

"What the hell is that? No, man. I was born here in Soul Society."

"Oh," I said as Caleb wrapped another piece of cloth around my arm. "Didn't know that happened."

"It happens a lot, dumb ass."

"Who are you calling dumb ass."

"The one who can't even realize I'm talking to him, that's who."

"Guys!" Caleb held up his hands. "Let's calm down. Lee, this guy did just save us."

"I had it handled. Was about to make my move."

"Yeah, you really looked capable there on the ground."

"Shut up, carrot top."

"Enough," Caleb's voice had changed. It held no hint of appeasement anymore. It was deeper, more forceful.

For some reason Xiao Lee listened.

"Hey," I said, deciding to take advantage of the shift. "I'm looking for people who came over with me."

"You mean died when you did?"

"Yeah, that." I couldn't help but wince as a fresh surge of humiliation hit. I tried to shake it off. This still wasn't the time to wallow it in. "How would I find them?"

"You lucky enough for the impossible to happen. My advice, give up on finding them, and start looking out for yourself."

"You just can't stop pushing can you?"

"He's trying to help you, Ichigo," Caleb said as he rested a hand on my shoulder. "I went through something similar when I got here. A lot of people do. I was so focused on finding my family that I almost got myself killed several times. This place is practically endless, and it's very dangerous"

"There are only a few things that could have happened to them, none of which you can change. If they appeared in the inner districts, they're probably much better off. Possibly, if they're not assholes like you, they'll be adopted into one of the many ad hoc families that form up in the Soul Society. That sort of thing is pretty common. If that happens, they'll be alright no matter where they popped up in the inner or middle districts." Xiao Lee finished with the body and stood up. "If they appeared in one of the outer districts like this place, they're probably already dead. If not, they will be soon."

"Fuck that. I'm going to find them."

"Even if you do, the outer districts do things to people. Tell me, Ichigo, have you ever killed someone before tonight?"

My breath caught in my throat. I managed to get out the word "No."

"And this is your first night here?"

"Yes."

"Because of that killing, you get to live another day. Your friends have either already learned that lesson or they're dead."

"If they ended up in the outer districts," Caleb added. "There are so many places they could have ended up, that might not be the case."

"I've got to find them. I will find them, no matter where they've ended up."

"Heard that before. Haven't known someone yet who made good on that claim. Take my advice, cause it's the best way I can repay you. Look after yourself." Xiao Lee gave Ichigo a said look. "I was born here with a family already and I'm the last one. Even people that know this place don't last long in the outer districts. You either eke out a living here, or find a way to escape. Those are your options. Me, I don't plan to stay in this shit hole forever. I'm not going to die here.

"Come on, Ichigo. You can stay with us for tonight."

"He can?" Xiao Lee didn't look pleased at that.

"He earned it."

"Fine."

"Hey, Xiao Lee." I got the guy to bring his attention back on me

"Yeah?"

"You said people could leave the outer districts. How is that?"

"Lots of ways, none of them easy. If you can get past the gangs and find someone to vouche for you with the gangs of that area, you could just move, but that sort of thing comes with a hefty cost and high chance of death. You could end up a servant of a higher house if you're really lucky. Or, if you have a high spirit pressure, you could end up leaving to become a Shinigami." Xiao Lee smiled. "That's how Caleb and I are getting out."

"You know how to find the Shinigami?"

"Of course. Every now and again there's always someone who works for them that scours the place looking for people with high enough spirit pressure. You just got to find those recruiters or get to one of their places yourself. What, you think you got what it takes? You just got here."

"You're damn right I've got what it takes."

"How would you know?"

"Cause I've already been one. A substitute Shinigami anyhow."

The two stared at me, disbelief etched in their features.

"Besides, I need their help."

"You know they won't help you find your friends and family. You're expected to leave that behind unless you're from a noble house," Caleb explained to me in a hesitant voice. It was clear he thought I was living in a fantasy world.

"They'll help me. I know one of them."

"You do?"

"Yeah. Any of you know Rukia Kuchiki?"


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Yep, definitely don't own Bleach. This work is fan made and not for profit. Note that this an AU and premise will become clear as the story unfolds.

Note: Perhaps some more information is required. I would be alarmed as a reader if OCs started to show up and take up a lot of space and time in a story. Let me reassure you that the cannon characters remain a core part of the story, and that neither OC presented here (both of whom were introduced last chapter and are further developed here) is the main character of the story. There will be several more OCs added to the cast to fill out Ichigo's academy class and who will develop along with him, and thus I must devote time to their development. With cannon characters I can rely on the readers already knowing who they are and focus on where they're going rather than where they've been. There will be several more OCs added to give life to the new Shinigami/Soul Reaper trainees in the academy with Ichigo, though I must admit not all of them will survive the story. If the beginning of the story is some indication, I am merciless in killing off characters, both cannon and OC. No one is safe.

POV: The POV is roving with each chapter. Chapter 1 was from Ichigo's perspective. This one will be from that of one of the OCs. It will shift again to another character in the next chapter, and so on and so forth.

Chapter 2

(Xiao Lee's POV)

The new guy is a pussy. He talks tough and can fight, but that doesn't mean he's going to make it out here. He just doesn't have the edge to survive in the outer districts. Seen his type before. Tough, strong, but not hard enough.

Caleb wanted him to stay with us, so he stayed. I was even cool with helping patch the guy up with what we had. What I wasn't cool with was having to share the food we bought in the morning in a three way split. You know what that Ichigo did with such a lucky break? He fell for the old "I'm a starving orphan, please feed me or I'll keep staring at you with my big eyes" routine that the local waifs use all the time. He gave those damn kids most of his share, including his potato and most of his carrots. Caleb tried to warn him, but Ichigo didn't want to hear of it. Let him go hungry trying to feed people who probably won't even die without the food. Maybe then he'll learn.

I'd hoped we'd seen the last of Ichigo when he left to go look for his friends again. I mean, the Bellatorum would be looking for him after he killed one of them. We don't need that sort of trouble in our lives.

Turned out we weren't so lucky. The guy popped back up at night. His face was covered in bruises and he was weak from hunger. I got to admit, I was surprised he really happened to be one of those spirits that needed to eat. Guy was at least that strong.

"What happened to you?"

"Nothing," was his answer.

"Nothing," I repeated.

"Punk needed to be taught a lesson," Ichigo finally said.

I shook my head. I almost refused him entrance, but Caleb popped up behind me and asked if he wanted to come in. He's got a soft spot for Ichigo, I guess. He even gave him a bowl of soup.

"Thanks," Ichigo said as he accepted it.

"You're making friends everywhere."

"I'm not going to let those Bellatorum guys get away with their shit."

"Oh fuck, you messed with them again?" Now I really didn't want him here. What if they found out where we lived?

"Only two of them."

"You didn't kill them, did you?"  
Ichigo flinched. "No. They ran off after a bit. Who are they anyway?"

I shrugged. "Every district has a gang that has the run of the place. The nicer the district, the more involved in legit business the gang is. Really bad districts have several gangs fighting it out. The Bellatorum are the biggest one around here."

"Why doesn't anyone do anything?"

"Who would care to?"

"The police?"

I didn't understand the term. "The what?"

"It's a world of the living thing," Caleb explained. "Think of them as sort of like the Central 46, but they are about keeping order among people rather than about maintaining spiritual balance of the universe." Caleb turned to Ichigo. "There is no law enforcement agency in existence that could keep the peace in Rukongai, let alone beyond that."

"What about the Shinigami?"

I laugh. "Why would they acre. So long as no full scale riots break out and there is a steady supply of recruits and material, they don't care." There had to be a potential disaster on the horizon to bring them out unless they happened upon something while already on important business in the area.

"Who prevents theft and murder?"

"No one. You've got to protect yourself. If you don't want your shit stolen, protect it. If you don't want to die, either make nice with the dangerous folks, keep your head down or kill the other guy first."

"Ichigo," Caleb took over, "the closest thing around here to police are gang protection rackets and the armed men of noble houses. Those last ones tend to be better, but they also only protect their own interests. Only a few actively try to enforce the law outside their own interest. Most don't bother."

"You'd think that someone who claims to know a Kuchiki would know that."

"I do know a Kuchiki," Ichigo said.

"I didn't believe you the first time." How would a newcomer know a Kuchiki. I can't even remember the last time Soul Society used a substitute Shinigami. I've met a lot of con men in my time, and I had no intention of falling for that crap now.

"They're one of the houses that try to restore order aren't they," Ichigo said. He sounded almost triumphant.

"You tell me. You shacked up with the little princess of the house."

"We didn't shack up. She just lived with me!" Ichigo paused, then his eyes bulged a bit as he realized what he'd just said. "Not like that. We worked together is all. Look, she didn't tell me much about Soul Society."

"You two too busy for talking?"

"Shut up."

Where the argument might have gone, I don't know. We were interrupted by shouting. There was a whole commotion outside.

"What's that?" Ichigo asked, rolling over to look at the door.

"I got it," Caleb said and walked for the door. He bent to look through one of the many holes in the door. Guy straightened in a hurry. The Bellatorum. They're here.

"Shit, one of them followed you here. You fucking idiot. You've killed us all." I reached out and thumped Ichigo a good one. "How many of them are there?"

"All of them, I think," came Caleb's answer as he circled to the only other door that served as our last hope of escape.

My heart sank. We were dead. No, we couldn't die. Accepting death meant the certainty of it. I had to figure this one out. Somehow I had to think my way out of a circle of Bellatorum who were hungry for blood.

Ichigo seemed to be caught up in his own thoughts, but the loud clatter of rocks being thrown at the hovel and the jeers of the Bellatorum shook him out of it. "This is my fault. Offer me up to them for your lives."

"Your damn right it's your fault," I shout at him. I have a right to be angry. This strange boy brings trouble back to my home, fuck, he deserves what's coming his way. "Let them fucking have him."

"No way," Caleb said, giving me a hard look.

"He's right. It might be the best chance you've got."

"See, Ichigo agrees with me."

Caleb shook his head. "Ichigo saved our lives. We owe him better than that."

"Don't be stupid," I said. "He agrees with me. We housed him, we fed him when he wasted his own fucking food, and now you want us to give back the lives he supposedly saved. No way. We don't owe him that."

Ichigo gave me a look I couldn't quite understand. It was halfway between wanting to hit me and starting to cry. Dude has baggage, no doubt about that, but I don't give a damn. We've all got baggage. It doesn't give someone the right to get others killed. Didn't know what his past shit was and didn't care.

Should never have brought this guy to our home. Think I'd have learned by now. Strangers were just going to cause trouble. My mother paid with her life for helping the wrong person. I still don't know the name of the guy that killed my mother, but I did vividly remember seeing him throw her to the floor of our old home. He crushed her windpipe with his hands. She'd invited him in, saved him from freezing to death during the cold season. That was the thanks we got. I did not intend to die the same way. No way.

"Ichigo goes. That's all there is to it," I said.

"Fuck that." Caleb wasn't giving ground either.

"I'm not letting anyone else die for me. Get out of the way, Caleb," Ichigo stood up and began to move for the door.

Caleb pushed him back. "Think about it. Do you think they're just going to let us go after they kill you? No. They're not going to stop until we're all dead."

"You don't know that." Ichigo beat me to that one.

"You've humiliated them. They're not going to let that go. We're involved with you. That's all they need to know," Caleb said.

I shook my head. "Not if we prove otherwise."

"Stop thinking whatever you're thinking."

"Its two to one here, Caleb."

A big rock hit the door then, silencing our fight.

"Listen up you dumb shits," a voice called from outside. "You've angered the Bellatorum. You must pay the price."

"This guy thinks highly of himself," Ichigo muttered.

"I'll allow you to choose how you want to die. You can come out and we will nail every last one of you up, or option two, we can burn you alive in there."

"They've got torches." Caleb was again looking through one of the holes. "And if you weren't listening, they said 'every last one of you'. We're all in this together, so no martyring yourselves or selling each other out."

"It's bigger than that," I said. "Think about it, if they use fire, then this isn't the only shack that's going to go up. All the homes are smushed together close here. The fire is going to spread."

"That's it, I'm going out there," Ichigo tried to push past Caleb, and this time looked to be gaining ground. "I'm not letting more shit happen because of me."

The jeering outside grew louder each passing moment. The Bellatorum were psyching themselves up for the moment. Every second that passed made it more and more likely they wouldn't settle for anything less than three corpses on crosses.

"If you go out there, I'm going out there too," Caleb said.

"Screw that. You don't even know me. Why would you do that?"

"Because we're going to die either way, and I'd rather go out fighting than sending a good guy to his death."

"Don't be an idiot, Caleb," I said right as the first torch hit the side of our hovel.

That initial throw must have been the first droplet of rain to fall out of a storm because I could hear other impacts. Our hut wasn't made of the most flame retardant of materials (straw and old wood just make love to fire in all the wrong ways) and all too many of the torches didn't just bounce off. The fire spread fast from each point of origin. Smoke began to fill the hovel. The Bellatorum must have had a mind to cut off one escape route because the flames were thicker at the back exit than the front. They wanted to smoke us out. I didn't have time to think about how they achieved that effect; I guess they clustered their throws together on that side.

"Guess they weren't in the mood to wait any more," I said. "Fuck." I wanted to hit Ichigo. Caleb too. I had no intention of dying here.

"We charge out there now, all of us, and attack. Maybe we can frighten them off," Caleb said, diving to the part of the floor with loosened boards: our only real hiding place in here. Out of the cubby Caleb pulled a couple knives and a pair of cudgels. He gave one of the sticks to me, and we doled out the knives fast.

"Oh, now you're ready to fight?" Ichigo said, his voice muffled by the fact he'd pulled his top up over his face to help protect him from the smoke. By the coughing that followed his words, it must not have helped much.

I didn't answer. I merely handed him back the knife from last night and the cast iron pot we used for cooking. Both would do as weapons in a fight. Damn it, I didn't want it to come to this. I trust Caleb. Well, as much as I do anybody. I don't trust Ichigo. Even if the guy is a good scrapper, he got stabbed last night and got a gash on his arm. Who wants to have the walking wounded on their team when they're completely outnumbered.

I reached down as Caleb armed Ichigo and removed a small bag from the stash. That I couldn't leave without. Never. I hid it under my clothes before anyone noticed.

Caleb, like Ichigo, had his face covered, so he couldn't speak. He nodded for the one exit available to us. The heat was unbearable and all of were sweating bullets. My skin was beginning to sear without even touching the fire.

I also bobbed my head in agreement.

Caleb went first, charging through the door and bashing it open with his shoulder. He was giving what he must have thought was a war cry. It was more a manly scream with a voice break thrown in.

Even though he was wounded, I let Ichigo go in front of me, and I slipped in behind him. In my hands I hefted the cudgel.

As soon as we broke free of the flaming hovel I used to call home, I was treated to an all too good look at what awaited us. The Bellatorum formed an inverted V that would funnel us to the greatest concentration of them. There had to be a score of them. I couldn't count them in the moment, but there were a lot. The fight looked hopeless before it even began.

Caleb must have realized allowing himself to be funneled in would mean a quick death, so he charged right instead. Ichigo, being the idiot I guessed him to be, charged straight in.

I was faster. I swung the cudgel and caught Ichigo in the shoulder blade. The carrot top went down hard with a squawk. Then I leapt on him, pulling out my knife and putting it to his throat.

My actions must have surprised the Bellatorum. The counter-attack they'd already started slowed to a crawl, and none of them rushed me. Off to the right, Caleb managed to club one down before he was tackled and brought to the ground by three others. They pinned him there easily.

"I'm going to mess you up." He yelled at them. He struggled, but to no avail.

"Don't kill that one." I ordered as if I had the authority to demand such things.

"Hold up," a voice called. The man at the center of the v stepped forward. He was dressed in a flowery kimono and wore some sort of high crowned wide brimmed hat that I didn't recognize. At his side was a sword he wore in the style of a Shinigami's zanpakto. It was a clear imitation. I assumed it was to demonstrate status. I recognized him. His name was Lang.

Caleb noticed the change in the behavior of his captors, probably because of the fact that he wasn't already dead, and he stopped fighting too. He twisted in the arms of the guys holding him as much as he could. That's when he saw what I was doing. "The fuck, Lee?"

"Shut up," I shout at him. Then I look to lang. "I'm sorry, Princeps Lang." That was the title that Lang had appropriated for himself. I knew he took it from a civilization long gone from the world of the living, but that didn't matter much. I'd call him "Chief-Big-Dick Lang" if that's what he wanted. "I beg forgiveness for my offenses and am eager to atone."

"You fucker," Ichigo growled from below me. "I saved your life."

I pressed down just a little bit more with the knife, the blade touching Ichigo's throat. "Please, allow me to end this man for you."

"Why would you do that? You know the Bellatorum do not forgive slights," Lang's voice was calm, controlled. He had the power to decide who lived and who died here. Bastard was savoring it. "We only grant forgiveness through death."

"Ah, but you do offer rebirth, as a Bellatorum. You make men kill to join you. Let this boy be my kill."

"Damn it, Lee. Don't you dare." Caleb yelled before one of the Bellatorum hit him across the face.

"Why would I want you? The Bellatorum are honorable, loyal warriors."

"I have loyalty. That is very important to me. In return, I want him to live." I nod at Caleb.

Caleb opened his mouth, probably to say something very rude to me, but a fist silenced him.

Lang glanced at Caleb, then back to me. "Why him and not this boy?"

"Caleb is the only family I have left. I want to spare him by blood I shed. That is your way, is it not?" It does pay to know as much about the customs of each gang as possible.

Lang smiled. "Your offer and cunning do impress. If you're willing to kill for family maybe you do have what it takes to be one of us. We'll see. Take the orange one."

Two of his guys came forward, and I let them have Ichigo. They kicked his weapons away and grabbed him by both arms.

I got off once they had him and stood up. I no longer needed the club, so I dropped it. The knife I pushed into my belt.

Lang sidled over to inspect his new acquisition. "You're the one who killed Klein, are you?"

"Who is that, your boyfriend?" Ichigo said with the same confidence he exuded when last I saw him in a dangerous situation.

Lang laughed. "I'm going to have fun seeing if you hold onto that courage when we're nailing your hands to boards." He turned to me and clapped me on the shoulder. "And you. We'll see if you have what it takes. You will drive in the nails."

"I'd love to see that stupid punk suffer. He never would have survived anyhow." As I spoke, I wrapped my hands around the knife in my belt and then, quick as I could, drove it into Lang's throat. I know I got the windpipe and maybe wedged the blade into the neck bone. That meant Lang was dead, no doubt about it. Didn't even bother trying to pull the knife out. That would be too slow. I reached for the sword hilt at Lang's side and drew it around in a wide arc. I had no training with a sword what-so-ever. But the blade was sharp and strong, probably the best Lang could afford, and I brought it around to slice off the head of the guy holding Ichigo's right arm. Then I turned and ran for the group holding Caleb slashing widely with the weapon. Didn't get any of them, but they fell back in surprise, releasing Caleb.

Behind me I heard Ichigo shout and someone else grunt in pain. I guess Ichigo had turned on the other guy trying to hold him as I hoped he would.

"Get up, Caleb. Grab a weapon and fight."

He didn't need to be told twice. He was already diving for that club.

The death of their leader must have shocked and confused the Bellatorum because they were a mess. Some of them tried to fall back, which got in the way of the ones who bellowed with rage and attacked. They were tripping themselves up, giving us a chance to reform.

Don't get me wrong, we were still screwed. But the chaos gave me faint hope we might just be able to drive them off. I thought about making a break for the bikes, but they'd grab me before I even got it up to pedal. An on foot escape was out of the question. I was stuck in corner with a sword I didn't know how to use. Damn it, I wasn't going to die. I had to keep telling myself that.

"Fight," I yelled again. "Both of you sons of bitches, fight." I kept swinging. None of the other Bellatorum had a weapon quite like Lang's and the range gave me the edge in keeping them at bay. I couldn't look to see how the others were faring. The only thing really keeping us alive was the fact that the Bellatorum kept getting in their own way.

There was a massive, drawn out crashing sound as our old home collapsed. With just a glance I realized that the flames were already spreading to other houses. People were now fleeing into the streets. More chaos. That could only be good for us.

I slashed one of the thugs who decided to get a little too brave right across his face. Somewhere off to the side I heard Caleb give an ump of effort and there was an ugly squelching sound. Then I heard Ichigo yell, "I've got you, Caleb."

Damn it, I couldn't turn and see what was going on. I had to keep the rest of these monsters off us and rely on the fact that Ichigo was a better fighter than me. Maybe I should have taken my chances trying to become one of the Bellatorum. Hell, what am I saying, they would probably have nailed me on the next cross after I did the same to Ichigo. It's just their way.

A high pitch whistling noise rent the air. Looks of terror crossed the faces of the Bellatorum, and though my mind took a second longer to equate the noise with what it meant, I too felt a burst of adrenaline. I'd only heard it once before. It was when a group of Shinigami had suppressed a water riot.

Had the fire attracted them?

The Bellatorum turned and fled as one, moving in unison for the first time I'd seen that evening. They all knew that they had to get out of there. Shinigami administered harsh justice. And not all of them were fast enough. A figure wearing the robes of Shinigami dove amid their ranks, cutting two of them down.

I was hit from behind and bowled to the ground. Damn that hurt. I let the weapon fall from my hands and held them up to prove that I was no longer armed. Surrender was the only way to placate an attacking soul reaper, and that was no sure bet. Rolling over, I emphasized my capitulation with a clear cry of "I give up. Don't hurt me. We're not with them."

Another Shinigami leveled their zanpakto at me, the tip of the blade two inches from my nose. "Stay down."

"No problem, man."

In the chaos of the night, I could still hear some voices clearly. "Get that fire out," someone ordered.

"The fuck do you think you're doing?" Ichigo cried, probably because another soul reaper was on him.

I glanced to see what had become of Caleb, but I couldn't find him. Was he still alive.

"What gang are you from?" The Shinigami asked me.

"I'm not from one."

"Don't lie to me. No civilian from this district could afford a weapon like that."

"I'm telling the truth. I got it from one of them. You can check me. I have no tatts or anything else like that. There are people around here who know me."

"We'll see."

"Hey Ichigo," I called, hoping it didn't get me killed to raise my voice. "If you really do know a soul reaper, now is the time to say."

"What do you think I'm trying to do? They're not listening. Ow. Fuck. Don't you understand, I'm a friend of Rukia's. Kuchiki Rukia. Haven't any of you heard that name?"

"Silence you," another voice said.

"Hold on, don't kill him," came a woman's voice. It was high pitched, not the sort of voice you'd expect of a hardened killer or one who could command Shinigami.

I looked for the source. It was another Shinigami, a girl. Her hair was done up into a sort of bun with white cloth. The decoration was sort of cute. She also had a lieutenant's badge on her shoulder. Fuck, we'd managed to find a lieutenant. Damn, those bastards were stone cold killers. We were dead. Doesn't matter what she looked like.

"You know Kuchiki Rukia?"

"Yes I do. She must have returned to soul society by now. We are friends. She's looking for me."

"You don't believe this thug, do you Lieutenant Hinamori?" The soul reaper guarding Ichigo sounded ready to kill him.

"She's arrogant, irritating, has black hair, and draws like shit. I'm telling you, I know Rukia," Ichigo said as he continued to plead his case.

"Lieutenant?" Her men were eager to act on her orders.

The girl considered it for a moment, then reached a decision. "Focus our efforts on putting the fire out. It could consume the district. We'll take these men into custody. Rukia has recently returned, that much is true. We'll find out if they're telling the truth. Captain Aizen will get to the bottom on this."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Yep, definitely don't own Bleach. This work is fan made and not for profit. Note that this an AU and premise will become clear as the story unfolds.

Chapter 3

(Rukia POV)

I received a summons from 5th Division Headquarters mere minutes before my fate was to be decided by a tribunal assembled of ranking officers from the Gotei 13. Said tribunal of five members would determine whether I had cause to break one of the laws of the Soul Society. Upon my return I immediately contacted the appropriate officals to begin proper proceeds. Speed was essential if I was to help Ichigo, which also meant forfeiting most of the few rights guaranteed a Shinigami. Normally, I would be tried by Central 46 for my crimes, but I could forgo such a process by being tried by tribunal, and since I needed to find Ichigo fast, I agreed to the worst option available to me: military tribunal. At my hearing, I confessed that I'd given my Shinigami powers to a human, and though I didn't tell them everything that transpired on earth, I provided more than enough damning details to shame the Kuchiki Clan and destroy myself. The tribunal would be well within their rights to punish me in the most severe ways for these sort of actions. After all, the amount of damage an irresponsible human could do with Shinigami powers was immense.

There were circumstances under which the transfer could be justified, which was what the tribunal would determine. The more acceptable they found my reasoning the less harsh the penalty. The process is designed to be very quick. The consequences of my potential failure were apparent. I needed to find Ichigo. Sure, I'd already reported his existence and given my opinion on his massive potential, but that opinion wouldn't mean anything if the label of criminal ended up hanging round my neck. Worse still, if I were imprisoned, I couldn't look for Ichigo myself or continue to make a case for him. For my recommendation to have any meaning at all, I needed to vindicate myself.

The process works like this: I gave my report in front of all five members of the tribunal, then each was allowed to question me. I recognized all five members of the committee. Captain Aizen of the 5th Division, Captain Hitsugaya of the 10th, Captain Sui-feng of the 2nd, Captain Tousen of the of the 9th, and the leader of my own division, Captain Ukitake. Only the last was required to be a part of the proceedings. My brother was of course exempt from the selection due to familial connection, not that my being a Kuchiki would have stopped him from condemning me. After my testimony, I left. Then they would bring in character witnesses and anyone else who had knowledge relating to the decision. I didn't think that part would take very long, but it did. I wasn't allowed to know who had come either to condemn or defend me, so I could only guess.

The timing of the news was both good and bad. Knowing Ichigo hadn't been killed in Soul Society, and that I could find him now, filled me with relief. But it couldn't be that simple. I hoped I'd made a good enough case to at least remain free of a jail cell. The idiot got himself arrested by members of 5th Division, and I doubt he could finesse his way out of that without my help. He'd dropped my name, hence how the news came my way, but now I would be dealing with yet more legal troubles, this time on behalf of someone else.

I felt the desire to punch someone rise only to have it washed away by shame. I'd brought destruction to Karakura. All that Ichigo lost, everything he went through, it was all because of me. I'd save Ichigo. No matter what.

First, I had to wait nine more minutes for the recess to end, all the while agonizing about what might happen to both of us. Time is a dick and my imagination joined in on the fun. Why? Because it's an asshole, that's why.

Long past the point when the wait became unbearable, a soul reaper I didn't recognize stepped out of the room that housed my hearing and bowed in front of me. "Lady Kuchiki, you may return."

I hoped the bow was a good sign, but it might not mean anything. Since I was a lady of the Kuchiki clan, there would no doubt be people bowing to me as I was dragged to be executed were that to happen. It was yet another one of the trappings of nobility that sat wrong with me. I was no one special and did not deserve that sort of treatment.

"Rukia Kuchiki, you stand accused of overstaying your allotted time in the material world and illegally empowering a human being with the abilities of a Shinigami, an act that is forbidden by our laws. This tribunal has arrived at its verdict. Do you stand ready to accept the demands of justice upon your soul?" Toshiro Hitsugaya read from a scroll in his hands.

"I am prepared," I gave the answer expected of me.

Toshiro's lips moved as he delivered her sentence, but no sound came. All I could here was this deep thumping in my head. Maybe it was my heartbeat. My center felt cold, but my skin burned. The world around me began to spin.

Then a comforting arm was on my shoulder. "Congratulations, Rukia."

I started and looked up into the smiling face of Captain Ukitake. "What?"

"You argued your case well. You've been acquitted."

"I was." I tried to shake off that odd feeling and pay attention to what was going on around me. "I mean, what?" Wow, way to sound dumb.

Ukitake nodded his head. He was always so patient with me. "At least I thought so."

I glanced at the other Captains leaving the room to try and gauge their reactions just in time to spot Sui-Feng disappearing out of the door. The look of disgust she gave me left me with no doubt she hadn't voted for my acquittal. Toshiro walked past me with an uncaring expression. I couldn't find Captain Tousen before Aizen obstructed my view.

He too was smiling. "I'm so glad to see you alive and alright."

"Captain Aizen," I stuttered the name, mangling it. "Sir, thank you, sir."

He chuckled. "You did a very brave thing in the world of the living. I'm just glad to see you have returned."

"Brave? Am I to receive no punishment at all?"

"Your actions were justified under the circumstances presented to us. At least, most of us thought so," Ukitake said.

"Your Captain gave a passionate argument in your defense." Aizen gave Ukitake a nod.

"As did you, if I remember correctly, enough to sway the vote 4-1."

"Should you be telling me this?" I asked.

"Well, the tribunal is over, so none of the information is restricted anymore." Ukitake shrugged. "It is good to have you back."

"If you wouldn't mind, Captain Ukitake, I need to borrow Miss Kuchiki. My division has captured a criminal who claims to know her, and considering the report we just heard, he may actually be who he says he is."

"Of course," Ukitake said, his smile vanishing. "Do what you must. Know that if this it is Ichigo Kurosaki, I would be glad to sponsor him in whatever manner would be appropriate."

"You would?" I was floored. "You've never met him."

"You have, and if you think so highly of him as to praise him in front of your superiors so, I can think of no finer recommendation of character."

"Come, Rukia." Aizen motioned for me to follow as he set off at a brisk pace.

"Yes, Captain." I scampered after him, letting him lead me through a series of doors and outside into the great opened areas of the Seireitei. "May I-"

"Ask anything you like, Miss Kuchiki."

"What happened? How did you find him?"

"My lieutenant says she stopped a riot or gang battle in progress that threatened to consume one of the lower districts in fire."

Good thing she'd stopped it. If fire really got going in one of the poorer sections of Soul Society, nothing could stop it.

"She captured who she thought to be members of one of the gangs, but seems to think they might be something else after speaking to them. They dropped your name and they weren't wearing and identifiers associated with known gangs."

"Who were they fighting with?"

"The Bellatorum."

They were still around? I thought they'd been pushed out while I was still living on the streets with Renji.

"Did he say anything else?"

"No, but Hinamori did give me a description of him. Did he have orange hair and a poor attitude."

"Yes," I cried out, unable to hide my excitement. We'd found him.

Xxxxxx

I spent a lot of time in the 5th Division's HQ trying to get everything sorted out. How much paperwork did it take to arrange a prisoner transport and release? Oh, then there was the fact we had to analyze the statements given by each and every Shinigami present at the event to make sure Ichigo didn't do anything Aizen didn't have the authority to get him out of legitimately. If he'd been the instigator of any of what happened instead of simply acting in self-defense, there was nothing we could do for him. No one wrote down witnessing him being the aggressor though, so it would be Ichigo's word against the Bellatorum, who would most definitely not show up to plead their case to members of the Gotei 13, should charges be leveled. If we did our job right, no charges would be forthcoming.

Goodness, we had so many hell butterflies zooming to and fro from the office I wouldn't be surprised if someone mistook us for the communications office.

The mess came to an end with Hinamori all but crashing through the doors in haste. "Captain Aizen, I just got word they're bringing the boy here," she said through gasps for air. Had she run with the news? I mean, I know she goes to everything with insane gusto if Captain Aizen asks it of her, but wow. Did I have room to critique? If Byakuya demanded something of me, I would not delay either.

"Thank you, Momo. Please, take a seat and rest. You look winded."

Hinamori perked up at Aizen's paternal concern. "Thank you, sir, but there's no need. I'm fine."

"Humor me, please. I can't let you exhaust yourself. What would I do without you?"

Listening to those two talk, I felt like I was invading. They were so warm to each other it felt foreign and unreal. Could they really be this nice all the time? I doubted.

I mentally castigated myself for those thoughts. I'd spent most of my life on the streets of Rukongai, and the rest of it as part of a noble family; none of the experiences from either of those left me with a very trusting nature, but it wasn't right of me to push my mistrust onto others. Not everyone was hiding secret versions of themselves, liars, killers, thieves, or whatever awful thing I imagined them to be.

"Rukia,"

I blinked. "What?"

Momo gave me a polite smile. With her big eyes, her face reminded me of some of those dolls I saw in the world of the living. "I just said that I'm glad you're alright. I was worried about you."

"Oh, thank you, Lieutenant."

"Lieutenant? You don't have to call me that. Abarai will be so relieved to know you're alright. Have you seen him yet?"

"No, I haven't." I didn't mention that I'd been avoiding him. He'd call me out for giving my powers up and not coming him, and he had every right to. Or worse, maybe he wouldn't. Renji was my oldest friend, and once upon a time the person who would always be honest with me. Ever since I was adopted by the Kuchiki clan, he'd grown colder to me, distanced, and almost polite. My best friend treated me different now, all the time. I'm not sure what would be worse, hearing him call me an idiot or confirming that he wouldn't even say that to me anymore. "We haven't seen each other."

"Oh? I'm sorry. I thought he found you. He was looking all over."

"I'm sure we'll run into each other." I both hoped we did and prayed we didn't. I didn't even know really how to talk to him with how little we saw each other, which only made things worse because every day that passed where we didn't address the problem was another day that the bitterness deepened. There would come a point where we couldn't repair the damage. Could we even repair it now? Really?

A knock on the door shook me out of my thoughts.

"Come in," Aizen said.

"Get your hands off me, I can walk on my own," a familiar voice said as the doors opened. Two members of 5th Division entered with an irritable Ichigo held by the arms between them.

"Sir, we've brought the prisoner, as you asked."

"Prisoner?" Ichigo sounded indignant. "I told you, we were protecting ourselves. I'm not a liar. Rukia, back me up on this."

I opened my mouth to say something, but Captain Aizen beat me to it. "Gentlemen, this boy is no longer a prisoner. He is a guest. Please, let him go."

"Yes, Captain." The pair released Ichigo

"You may go."

Both Shinigami bowed and left.

"Yeah, you better go," Ichigo grumbled.

"It is nice to meet you, Ichigo Kurosaki. I have heard so much about you. I feel as though we are already fast friends. I'd like to personally thank you for looking after Rukia, both on behalf of myself and her commanding officer."

"Oh, uh, yeah, it was no trouble. Even if she is a handful."

"I'm a handful? Think back to all the stupid shit you got up to and all the times you would have gotten yourself killed if it hadn't been for me." In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have yelled that in front of Aizen. It was a gut reaction

Ichigo smirked. "If you remember, I did eventually die." He froze at the words, the look of glee disappearing.

I stiffened too. What could I say? It was true. My arrival ruined his life.

"Yes. Miss Kuchiki told us about your misfortune."

"We're very sorry," Hinamori said with a polite bow.

"It was my fault," I whispered.

"Hey, none of that." Ichigo gave me a hard look. "I was joking. You did everything you could. She probably didn't say it, but she saved my life the first night we met."

"I don't doubt it. Miss Kuchiki is very capable." Aizen gestured to the small table surrounded by cushions. "Would you please join me?"

"Uh, yeah. I guess."

Aizen sat opposite Ichigo, and glanced up at Hinamori and me. "Please, join us."

"Yes, sir," we said in unison and joined them.

"If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to hear what happened with you and Rukia from your perspective. Would you mind?"

My body tensed. This was just what I hadn't wanted. We'd done things in the world of the living that Soul Society would, at best, frown upon. If he so much as mentioned Kon, we were screwed and the mod soul was dead. Then there was Ishida. Fuck, there were a lot of things that shouldn't be said to a Captain about what went on down there. Sure, I'd told Ichigo enough that he should know what not to say, but did he pay attention?

Hinamori glanced at me, noticing my discomfort, but neither Ichigo or Aizen looked at me. That didn't mean neither of them noticed something, but they didn't give it away if they did.

"I guess. There's not much to tell that you probably haven't hear. Rukia showed up hunting Hollows in Karakura Town. She saved me and my family too, from a big one. Thing ripper her up good while she was protecting us. She'd have been fine if we weren't there, but we were. To save us all she gave me her powers. After that evening, she modified everyone's memories so they didn't remember anything and hid as a student. Her powers didn't come back at first, and she needed my help to hunt Hollows. I didn't want to, but she brought me round after they kept attacking souls in the area and one of my friends. We hunted Hollows until there were just too many. They killed me and a lot of other people. Then I wound up here. Enough said."

Aizen chuckled. "A very detailed explanation."

"I'm not always a detail kind of guy. I just stick to the important bits."

"One of my favorite playwrights said 'brevity is the soul of wit'."

"Who said that?"

"You don't know? He wrote it while he was alive before he adapted his work for Soul Society after his death. He wrote under the pen name William Shakespeare. He was an Englishman I think."

"Never read him." Ichigo pointed a finger at himself. "Japanese, not English."

"Fair point. He was an interesting fellow."

"Was?"

"Oh, he died here and reincarnated back into the cycle. I don't know what he's doing in his new life, or if he is even a he now."

Ichigo's eyes widened. "That can happen?"

"No one remembers their life in Soul Society after they die and reincarnate, but yes, it is entirely possible to be reincarnated as a member of the opposite sex."

I pictured Ichigo with lipstick and woman's wig and almost chuckled. Then I tried to do it for real in my head, making him look more like Orihime, but with a grumpy face.

"Is there any way to go back?"

Aizen shook his head. "No." His voice took on a somber tone. "You're dead, Ichigo. There is no going back. Soul Reapers can travel between this world and the other, but they can never truly be part of it again."

"Yeah, I figured. I get it, I mean. Just thinking about my family." He looked to me as though he wanted to ask so many questions. "Never mind. I just worry about them. Hey, you mind if I ask a favor?"

"Ichigo, you're in no position to ask favors here." I wasn't trying to be harsh, but he needed to understand he couldn't piss off a captain and hope to have any kind of future.

"I'd like to hear it, at least. Go ahead, Ichigo."

"There were other people who died with me. I saw what Soul Society is like out there. They're in danger and I need to find them, but I already tried and this place is too damn big. Do you guys have ways of finding people out here?"

"Some, but they're not perfect. Often we must rely on our eyes and we don't have the manpower to search a place the size of Soul Society with any reliability. Rukia, are these the people you told me about.  
"Yes, sir." I nodded, my heart feeling heavier in my chest.

"Are you already looking for them?" Ichigo sounded hopeful.

"No. Ichigo, you were killed by Hollows, were you not?"

"Yeah."

"But they didn't devour your soul. If they had, you wouldn't be here."

"Nah, they died first."

"As I understand it, you were the last one standing. The Hollows succeeded in devouring the others. If this is true, your friends won't be here in Soul Society."

"What!" Ichigo leapt to his feet. "Don't tell me they're gone. They can't be."

"Calm down, Ichigo. Let us explain."

"Fuck that. They have to be here."

"Listen to me, Ichigo." Aizen held up a hand and spoke in the commanding tone of voice he used only in dire circumstances. "They aren't gone, but they also aren't here."

"Explain." Ichigo didn't look cowed.

I would be if Aizen talked to me like that.

"A soul devoured by a Hollow becomes a Hollow."

"You mean they're monsters now? There has to be a way to save them."

"Haven't you been paying attention, Ichigo. When you used your zanpakto on Orihime's brother, he passed on to Soul Society even though he was a Hollow. That's what we do. It's what you and I have been doing all this time."

"I couldn't have put it better myself, Rukia. You ask how to help them. It's quite simple. That's what the Shinigami exist to do. We keep balance and purify Hollows, allowing them to pass on. But killing Hollows isn't enough. Only a Shinigami with a zanpakto can purify a Hollow. Destroying them by other means we've learned of in the past could lead to the soul's permanent end."

"What you're saying is that I can't help them unless I become a Shinigami."

"That's right. If you haven't guessed, this is a recruitment drive. Rukia has already told me of your intense desire to protect your home, but that's only the start. A Shinigami has a duty to all souls. You cannot allow favoritism or personal feelings to get in the way of that."

"You sound like Rukia when you spout bullshit like that."

"Ichigo!" I think Hinamori yelled something at the same time as me, but I couldn't understand her since I was being just as loud.

"Like any of you wouldn't go to hell and back for someone or something you care about. I don't believe for a second you feel the same for every soul, especially when one might be in front of you and another not. Don't pull that duty crap on me."

"Don't you dare talk to Captain Aizen like that. There is no one who has done more-"

"It's alright, Momo. Would you feel differently if you were forced to choose between a friend and some random plus? Sometimes that is a choice we must face. Even after years of training and service in the field that choice can still lead the best of us to make the wrong choice. I'm not here to debate it with you, I'm here to make you an offer. Either you become a Shinigami and agree to take other souls besides those you know personally under your protection, or you say 'no' and leave the safety of your friends to us."

"The hell I'm going to abandon them."

"You don't see the big picture, Ichigo. Training a Shinigami takes years, and it is a duty you will be bound to for a long time. It is not a simple. It takes a lot of resources and time, and you receive power you can't simply lay down. If you want the power to save your friends you must agree to take on all of the responsibility, not just the parts of it you see aligning with your own moral code. You are no special exception to that. There is nothing that makes you more special or more deserving than other souls."

"I didn't say there was."

"Oh, did you not? I was under the impression you cared more about your own feelings than the very existence of others."

"Fuck you."

"Seeing yourself in an unfavorable light is unpleasant. Much more so when you can't escape the truth of it. Two captains stand ready to sponsor you if you want to join us. I can sense your power. You have the potential to be great, maybe even one of the greatest in time. But that requires a commitment, and I will not waste time on someone who has no interest in being more than a selfish fool who cares only for their own ego."

Ichigo sat in silence, glowering at Aizen.

Aizen kept his face pleasant in the face of Ichigo's ire.

"If I said yes, what would that mean?"

"The sponsorship of a Captain will exempt you from the entrance exam. You will have to spend years studying at the Spiritual Arts Academy, most likely six of them. Then you will face a final exam and be assigned to one of the 13 Divisions, the Stealth Corps, or the Kido Corps. From there you will serve the Seireitei and protect the balance of the world."

"And I'll be hunting Hollows?"

"Yes, if you place high enough to see combat duty. If you give us reason to doubt your loyalty, you will never have that opportunity."

"Yeah, I figured. One thing. There were two guys brought in with me from that whole gang thing. They're good guys and they have enough spiritual pressure to need food. They think they've got what it takes to be Shinigami."

"Well, they are here at the Seireitei. I'm sure they can take the entrance exam after they're released."

"Thing is, they think they won't pass. Tell me, do people from the inner districts have an advantage over those from the outer ones?"

"Sad to say, but that is true. The entrance exam takes many forms, and it is possible to score so well in one area that a failure in another is ignored, but inner districts have access to study materials that make it easier and the proper food to maintain their spirit energy. They also have better access to experienced Shinigami who could answer their questions. Those options aren't all available to those who are worse off than others."

"Tell you what then, I'll join. But I want those two exempt from the test too. If they can't hack it at this academy place, that's not my problem, but they deserve a shot like everyone else."

"Captain Ukitake has only extended his sponsorship to you," I said. Aizen had bade us sit and join the conversation, and Ichigo was really pushing it.

"That's too bad. That's my offer. Take it or leave it. Otherwise I'll figure out my own way to save my friends."

"There isn't one, Ichigo." Why couldn't I get him to understand that.

Aizen, however, started to laugh. "I like your spirit. Very well, I shall sponsor your friends as well. I do hope that I won't regret it. Even if I do though, you seem like your shaking things up in the way you do will be interesting enough to make up for it."

Ichigo actually cracked a smile. "Then you've got yourself one substitute Shinigami."

"No, no substitute. If I have my way, you will be a true Shinigami. I have not sensed something of your like before, Ichigo. Make this worth my time, and we'll make sure your friends are saved."

Xxxxx

We eventually found ourselves alone, Ichigo and I. It wasn't for very long. We were waiting for Hinamori to do up some paperwork and Captain Aizen was long gone.

Ichigo leaned close. "Rukia. I've been meaning to ask. What happened after I died."

I sighed. "What is required of me. I modified the memories of everyone who knew the people taken by the Hollows. Chad and Orihime were pretty much alone. Protocol was clear. No one now remembers that they existed at all. Tatsuki died in an accident. Asano-"

"Sound fucking human, Rukia."

My breath hitched and I reached over to touch his shoulder.

He didn't pull away.

"I'm so sorry."

"Protocol? Is that really how it's going to be."

"Sometimes we have to do the best we can for the people who are left."

"They were your friends, weren't they?"

I wanted lie. To say no. Truth was though that I hadn't felt bonds like that since my days with Renji and the others long before we became Shinigami. "Yes." The words came out as a croak. "I'm doing the best I can, Ichigo."

He grunted.

"I am."

"My family. What did you do?"

I didn't…I couldn't do that to them. I'm such a coward. I left them with Kon."

"Kon is stuck pretending to be me? To hell with that."

"Ichigo, you can't return to your body. Your soul chain has been severed. At least this way they still think they have a brother. Damn it, I know its sick, but I couldn't go back there and do that to them. You looked out for them, Ichigo. What would they be without you?"

Ichigo sat silent for a few moments, then asked "I am going to have to make decisions like that? Things that are that hard?"

"I hope not. But, yeah. You probably will."

"You're stronger than I am, Rukia?"

"What? Are you stupid?"

"No stupider than you."

"Now you're a child."

"No more a child than you."

"Stop doing that."

"I owe you still, you know?"

"All of this is my fault, Ichigo."

He gave a sour chuckle. "Don't do that. There's only room for one of us to have a martyr complex here. If I can be the half the Shinigami you are, I've no doubt I actually can do this shit."

I didn't know what to say to that, so I went with a classic. "You're an idiot, Ichigo."

Xxxxxx

When I arrived home, I followed proper protocol to the letter, including bathing myself and dressing in appropriate clothes before presenting myself to the head of the family: my brother, Byakuya Kuchiki.

Eventually I found myself kneeling in a sliding door that separated us while he was in meditation in the room on the other side. I waited there for what must have been two or three minutes before I heard him bid me slide the door open with but one word, "Rukia." His voice was cold, hard and aloof.

"I have returned. The tribunal has deemed my crimes justified. I have not brought dishonor upon our family."

"No crimes are justified," Byakuya said. He never looked at me. All I could see of him was his back, long hair, and the white scarf that belonged only to the head of the Kuchiki clan. "And all crimes bring dishonor upon us."

"Yes, brother."

"You know who we are. As those who play such a role in making the law, as those who stand above others, we must always uphold the law. If we do not, who else will. You may be without punishment, but you are still guilty."

"Yes, brother," I said again.

"Enough. You may leave now."

I wanted to say something else to him, to beg him to tell me what could make it right. I would endure any punishment to earn his satisfaction. I didn't though. "Yes, brother. Goodnight."

He did not reply. He sat in silence as I closed the door.

I sat there for a moment fighting down the pain in my chest. Why did I fuck so much up?


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Yep, definitely don't own Bleach. This work is fan made and not for profit. Note that this an AU and premise will become clear as the story unfolds.

Chapter 4

(Ichigo POV)

I'm not crazy about the uniform. It looks sort of like the standard Shinigami outfits, but its white up top with a blue or red hakama, depending on whether you're a boy or a girl. Color-coded for convenience I guess. It's not a culture shock or anything. I'm used to school uniforms, just not quite so okay with them looking like something out of an old samurai film.

Can't say I don't like the sword.

The day we started was boring as fuck. We were shown where first years would be sleeping and where classes would be. There were only three of us at orientation because new students were already two weeks into their very first year. The professors warned Xiao Lee, Caleb, and me that we'd be playing catchup like crazy, though they didn't put it that way. They just frowned and told us we'd have to work hard. They went over basic rules and procedures, including giving us little pamphlets that wouldn't have looked out of place at a communist rally. Then we got to what I see as the best part. They gave us all Zanpakuto. Well, sort of.

"These are Asauchi, forged by one of the most esteemed among all Shinigami. They will eventually become your Zanpakuto," said the old man giving the orientation. His hair was a partially greyed blond, and he had giant spectacles. "These are empty vessels with the potential to become anything. They have only ever been forged by a single master, and they are to be yours. Such is the nature of Asauchi that they will one day become a part of your soul. By taking possession of them you begin a change within yourself, one that will end with this empty Asauchi becoming your Zanpakuto. First rule of this academy, never let this sword leave your side. Ever. Break this rule even once, and face the most severe of penalties."

Do people really think by being vague that they're being more intimidating? Like our imagination is going to do worse than they ever could. I mean, I bet I could find a rulebook that would tell me exactly what the penalty was. Maybe they'd sit me in a corner. Well, this place is like the ancient world, so maybe they do lashes and stuff. Public canings like Singapore. What if they chop off your hand and use magic to grow it back? Could you be expelled for your first offense? My mind started to go crazy with the possibilities. Damn it, this old dude's cheap psychological trick worked.

"From the moment you take this from me, your soul will begin to slowly seep into it."

"What?" I cried. Maybe it was a bit of an overreaction, but hey, the guy was saying my soul would wind up in the sword.

"Only a part of it, you fool. Have you never been taught how a Zanpakuto works?"

"If I had, would I be here?"

The professor rolled his eyes. "Your Zanpakuto's soul and yours are one. You're both a part of each other even now. The part of your soul that is the source of your spiritual power, the part that is also your Zanpakuto, will leak out in a sort of way, binding with the Asauchi slowly over time. Well, it will once your spiritual pressure is strong enough to begin the process. Many low ranking Shinigami never end up with more than a loosely bound Asauchi that never has a name to tell. There are ways to bind it to you more quickly, but that sort of thing is for Shinigami of advanced spiritual power. We prefer students here to learn to use their Asauchi and get used to carrying it around even as it becomes a full-fledged Zanpakuto, just as they are being forged into a proper Shinigami. By the time the process is complete, the blade should feel like an extension of your body on every level. That's because it is. Your Zanpakuto's spirit will inhabit both your blade and your very being at the same time."

"Funny." I said, hefting the sheathed blade I'd been given. "You got two different names for a sword, but it's really just a sword, right?"

The professor blanched, his glasses nearly falling from his face and his blond hair spazzing out. "What? Just a sword. It is a part of your soul."

"The sword becomes an part of my soul?" I echoed. I remembered Rukia saying something about that when I asked her why the giant sword I previously wielded felt so light and easy to handle. I mean, basics physics said the momentum would swing me off my feet every time I used it, but that was never the case.

"Yes, yes. I can only hope your classes will fill in the gaps."

"So if it's a part of my soul, why haven't I always had it. Why'd I have to wait for you to give it to me?"

The professor's eyes blazed. I wasn't sure if he wanted to take my life or his own. "That's because it's not a part of your soul yet. It is a shell. I just explained that. An Asauchi becomes a Zanpakuto."

"Guess that makes sense. So is this the only way to get an Asauchi-Zanpakuto thing?"

"Well, yes and no. There have been Shinigami who took the Zanpakuto off of other fallen Shinigami they killed. Eventually their spirits bonded to the then lifeless and empty former Zanpakuto, filling the empty sword with their own energy and making it their proper Zanpakuto. Some families of a single line all share the same Zanpakuto, passing it down from generation to generation. There are some exceptions to the normal pattern. You will likely not be such an exception."

"So, when it finally becomes my Zanpakuto, will it change shape or something. The one I used to have when I was a substitute was, uh, different."

"Perhaps, but the sword you used as a substitute Shinigami was not your own. It was that of the Shinigami you drew your powers form. Only rare Shinigami blades take a new form upon their transformation without invoking a Shikai?"

"A what?"

"Never mind. You haven't even learned your Zanpakuto's name yet, so you need not worry about that. It'll be discussed in class."

"Uh, yeah I guess." If the big sword wasn't my Zanpakuto's true form, then just what was it?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Looking back on that first year, there's a lot of boring crap that reminded me of school. I mean there's an ethics class I had to go to every day where they drill the Shinigami code into students' heads over and over. God, I fucking hated that class, and it was required every year, so I wouldn't escape it in my 2nd or even 5th year.

Xiao Lee took to life at the academy pretty well. Irritatingly well. Was he grateful for my getting him in? No. Dude abandoned me as soon as we got there, at orientation no less. Next time I saw him, he was chatting up some group of students like he was one of them. I guess I couldn't blame him too much for that. When you're the new kid, your first impression pretty much defined what the rest of your school life was going to be like. So there he was, making it clear to people he wanted to be accepted by making it clear that he was their kind of guy. Thankfully I didn't have to see him often, except for when he studied with Caleb and me, which is to say he came over to copy whatever he could from Caleb. He tried it once with me; it didn't go his way.

Quite honestly, he should have chosen Caleb. Dude became a machine as soon as he got here. Determined to make up for lost time, maybe. Caleb always had his nose in books. He was that guy who put his hand up in every class like it earned him brownie points instead of resentful looks when he was the only one with the right answer.

Of course, what would school life be without bullies? The story of my life can pretty much be chaptered by who was my enemy at the time. I mean, even on my first day in Soul Society I fought with the Bellatorum and became a murderer, but they were out of my hair, and I knew I was going to make many more in Soul Society. It was in my first year at the Spiritual Arts Academy that I met the person who would be my first real dogged enemy of my new life here: Caroline.

Xxxxxxxxx

I met Caroline for the first time between classes down one of the many hallways of the Spiritual Arts Academy. I was walking with Caleb when I spotted a crowd of people huddled up in the sort of way everyone who has been in a schoolyard fight knows means trouble. I could also make out raised voices.

Caleb saw it too and started to steer us away from it. Dude had come from a really bad part of Rukongai and knew to stay away from that sort of thing.

Guess the fact I hadn't learned the same thing made me stupid.

"Hey, where are you going?" Caleb called as I dashed away from him.

I didn't answer. I pushed through people to get to the trouble.

"Look at you. Every member of the House Desai should feel ashamed to count you as one of their number. You'd think with your lineage you would have some talent." I heard a girl's voice saying. It was throaty, with an edge to it that made the speaker sound sort of hoarse. The tone was cruel, making its speaker's intent to do harm clear. "Some shit that would make you worthwhile. You can hide your scores from your family, but you can't hide it from me. Now, I guess you can't really hide it from anyone. Hey, everyone. Shreya Desai failed her beginning of term Bakudo and Kido exams."

"Shut up!" I heard another girl say. This voice was strained with anger and something else. I assumed it to be shame. "Silence you foul little-"

I kept pushing. Damn these guys didn't want to move.

"I'd watch your tone, you little noble bitch. Your name is the only reason you haven't flunked out already. Other members of noble houses get skipped right through. You're so bad they send you to school with everyone else. Hey, who here wants to guess how this girl did in her Zanjutsu class?"

"I'm warning you, Caroline."

I finally made my way to the front row of spectators. There were two girls standing face to face with each other. One was taller than the other, with brown hair and pale skin. From her bared arms I could see toned muscle. She wore a smile on her face as she looked at the black haired, darker skinned girl in front of her. This second girl was rounder in appearance, and rather stocky.

"What are you going to do, little Shreya." The pale, tall girl said. Her voice was haughty, and a sneer completed the picture of absolute derision. "You ancestors were warriors. How would they look upon how you've upheld their legacy?"

"Shut up," Shreya said in a dangerous tone. Her body quaked and a tear rolled down one cheek. Whatever this Caroline was going on about, it was striking deep in her prey.

"Even if I stop talking, you can't make what's true untrue. If I'm lying, why not tell everyone." Caroline turned a smile upon her audience and spread her hands wide to them. "Tell them I'm lying. Tell them that you're not a worthless sack of shit that doesn't deserve to be here."

Shreya glowered at Caroline, a fist now clenched at her side.

"You want to hit me, don't you? Go ahead. Give me the excuse to show everyone you don't deserve to be here. That it is your name that keeps you here. Come on. Hit me. I'll beat you to within an inch of your life. You don't deserve to be a Shinigami. If your family had any sense, they'd have married you off instead and hoped you popped some proper warriors out from between your legs." Caroline leaned closer, her hair falling over one eye. "Come on. You know you want to."

"No matter what you say to tear people down, Caroline. You'll still never make them lower than you." Shreya said through gritted teeth.

Caroline lashed out with the back of her hand, striking Shreya hard. I mean damn, that was no little Hollywood slap.

Shreya head whipped to the side with the force of the blow, but she didn't stumble or fall. She looked back to her tormenter, her hair now mussed up.

"I think our test scores say different. I think every measure of a Shinigami says different. You are nothing, Shreya Desai. You're a little piece of shit unworthy of the family name that grants you position you don't deserve. A ryoka would be worth more than you."

"And you behave like one." Shreya said, earning another hit.

"Leave her alone." I'd had enough of this shit. I stepped in between the two of them.

The pale girl stared at me for a moment. "Who are you, carrot top?"

"Name's Ichigo Kurosaki."

Evidently she'd heard the name because her eyes widened just a bit. "So you're the new blood from the outer districts that never learned proper manners. Bet you think you're something special getting in so easy. I doubt that you would have even passed the entrance exams."

I shrugged. "Things like tests don't get under my skin. A bully though, that's something that ticks me off."

"Really? So you must get under your own skin a lot."

"What are you talking about?"

"You. You stepped up to try and bully me into behaving as you want me to. How many little twats did you beat up and intimidate while feeling self-righteous? If you think I haven't seen your shit before, don't kid yourself. Now back off, first year." She said the last two words like they were some sort of horrible insult.

I shook my head, fighting down the anger. I cracked my knuckles unconsciously. The fact that I'd often wondered to myself if I might become a bully in my quest to protect people struck a nerve. "Nah, I don't want to."

Her glare became colder. "You're new here, so let me help you out. Fuck off. Last chance."

"You first."

"Please go," the girl behind me, Shreya, said.

"It's alright. This little bitch has said enough."

"No, stop." Shreya grabbed my arm. Damn, she had a grip. "Stop it right now."

"Why don't you listen to the failure, carrot top?"

"Fuck that. You treat anyone like that in front of me-"

"Stop," Shreya all but shrieked in my ear.

"What?" God that had hurt.

"Please just go." Shreya looked even more destressed than before, tears sprung earlier now flowed down her face in rage and shame.

"Listen to her cry. Is that what you're doing, Shreya? Weeping," Caroline jeered, her voice loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Shut up!" I said.

"That's it." Caroline said. She reached for me, grasping me by my arm and shoulder. In the next instant, I was on the ground. Pain flared up the limb and down my back as I was forced into an agonizing hold. A weight settling on my lower back and Caroline's free hand found a pressure point on the back of my neck.

"Fuck!" That was all I got out before she put on the pressure hardcore. Then I started screaming. I admit, my last coherent word wasn't all that impressive in retrospect.

"Quit whining," Caroline said over my cries. "Aren't you supposed to teach me a lesson? Aren't you supposed to scare me off. Thought you had to be somebody of worth to get a captain's recommendation."

I tried to talk, to tell her she could go straight to hell. I don't think I was very coherent. I'd been cut up in battle before. Literally died after getting chewed on by white masked monsters and stabbed with their blades and spines. This was something different, and while not worse than that, it was intense and constant. It was pain for the sake of pain, inflicted by someone who understood just how to do it. Worse, I didn't have the adrenaline of battle or even shock to lessen the pressure. I struggled. Of course I did. Didn't do me any good though. She adjusted her position as needed to maximize the advantage she had over me.

"Look at this. Is this the pathetic piece of shit you needed to protect you, Shreya?" Carol said from on top of me. "You really are a sad excuse for a Shinigami. Maybe tests aren't the measure of every virtue, but cowering behind a first year. God, you're so weak."

Shreya just stared, now stricken on the spot.

"And you, carrot top. I want an apology."

"Fuck you," I managed to get out. At least, I think that's what I said. It's a little unclear in my mind.

"You're going to beg for that," Caroline said, her voice simpering and sweet. More pain and pressure followed. "You're going to beg me, underclassman. Beg me for forgiveness."

I'll admit, I almost did. I'm not dumb enough to think that there is anyone who doesn't have their limits as far as pain goes. I didn't give in though, not this time. I fought surrender back.

"Beg!" Caroline's voice grew louder, angrier. "Beg me!"

That's when something gave in my arm and damn if she didn't keep pulling even more. Tendons, bone, muscles, none of it mattered to her. She'd tear my arm off if she had to.

"Beg. C'mon now. C'mon, boy. Beg for me." Now the voice was sweet again, like she was baby-talking a dog.

I refused, and passed out a few seconds later.

Xxxxxxxx

Turns out there are four Shinigami fighting arts that have to be learned, and first years get introduced to all of the basics. I got to admit, there's some appeal in going to a school to learn stuff you're actually going to use. I mean, I get it, when you're too young to really know what you want to do with your life, you're not going to know what you'll need for your future, so they teach you the basics of everything. It's a good strategy, and there are just going to be people too stupid to know that the things they learn are good for them. Just watch reality TV if you ever want to see people who could use a trip back to school. This was more like college, focused so that you mainly studied what you needed to know for your career, and that career was a very practical one.

Kido is the Shinigami's art of magic. I later figured out it could do a lot of wacky things. My first experience of it was having my arms bound to my sides by Rukia up in my room that first night we met. My first experience of Kido at the academy came in the form of healing techniques. Shocker, an academy that served a martial purpose had a dedicated medical wing.

I spent the rest of the day there. Missed the other classes I had too. Guess that's better than I might have received in the material world though. The damage Caroline did would be lasting even with extensive physical therapy. With Kido, I would be up and about and functional by the next day. It's not called magic for nothing.

I got visitors. Didn't want to see anyone though. I'd just gotten my ass kicked big in front of people I'd have to see every day for years. I hadn't the strength to protect someone yet again. I'd come here to change that, not fail more.

My first visitor wasn't Caleb, who was the only person I thought might come. Oh, he came later, his arms full of books so he could study and keep me company. I knew Xiao Lee wouldn't be showing up. It was the girl, Shreya, who popped in. Like all the female students, she wore a red hakama. The only thing that marked her out as different was a bracelet she wore. It was gold with two gems embedded in it, one blue, one green. Oh, and she looked pissed.

"You alright?" I asked as she came up to my infirmary bed.

"No." Her voice was hard. Looking at her now, I confirmed what I'd noticed before. She was a stocky girl. Her face was round, framing big brown eyes that reminded me of a doll's.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't stop her."

"You idiot. I didn't want you to try. You made it worse. Did you see anyone else helping?"

"Not my fault they were fucking cowards." My fingers balled up against the palm of my hand just thinking about it.

"It is your fault you're stupid. You humiliated me. I didn't need your protection. I'm a daughter of the house of Desai, of the line of Aadya and Zara. I do not need someone to step in thinking I needed rescuing."

"The line of who?"

"Aadya and Zara."

I shrugged, then regretted it. "Who are they? More dead famous dudes?"

If Shreya looked livid before, she'd somehow reached a stage beyond that now. "They are icons of Shinigami history."

"I never really was much in for history myself."

Shreya tried to speak, but no words came to her. Perhaps what I'd just said was so unspeakably offensive to her she couldn't figure out how to tell me just how loathsome I she found me. Eventually she settled on "Do you have no respect for the dead? For those who make the world that you live in what it is today? For all those who defined your existence before you came into it. You owe them more!"

"Technically, I'm already dead, so what do I owe even deader people."

"You fucking arrogant little shit. You're so wrapped up in your own ego you don't care who you hurt while patting yourself on the back for being the one to rescue damsels in distress. What fucking chauvinistic little prick you are."

"I didn't do it for you. I did it because I wanted to?"

"What does that even mean? So you wanted to shame me?"

"What? No. That's not what I mean. Fuck. I mean think about it. A girl is getting picked on right in front of me. What else would I choose to do?"

Her eyes narrowed and I knew I'd fucked up. "So it's a girl thing, huh? A girl just beat your ass."

"I know. I've never ever thought that a girl couldn't beat up a guy." Learned that lesson back when my mom used to bring me to karate. "Look, I tried to help."

"And proved everything Caroline said about me true in everyone else's eyes. You made me looked like someone who needed protecting. No one should fight a Desai's battle for them." She pointed an accusing finger at me.

"Didn't look like you were fighting that battle very well."

Shreya crossed her arms. "You didn't put on any better of a showing."

"I will next time."

"Caroline is beyond you, first year. Take your mindless quest for pride elsewhere or she'll leave you with none left."

"I've taken beatings before."

"If only it were just beatings," Shreya said, more to herself than me I suspect. Only after that comment did her eyes refocus on me. "If you care so much about your pride, then maybe you should think about what you just did this way: if it had been a guy there, would have stepped up to help him?"

"Yeah." Had I not just saved Xiao Lee and Caleb not long ago? I certainly didn't discriminate when I was saving souls from Hollows. "Yes, I'd have helped a guy. I've stopped beat downs like that before."

"You'd step in to help a guy with a sword at his waist," Shreya tapped her own Zanpakuto. "In a one on one fight. You wouldn't think for a moment you'd be hurting his pride? What if it had been someone else interrupting a fight for your pride. How would you feel?"

I started to retort that it would have been fine with me, but the memory of Grand Fisher flashed into my mind and I stopped short.

Shreya stated at me for a few seconds. "I thought so. Now make the person that saves you a girl in your head and see if that makes any difference to you. Would it?" A look of disgust crossed her face and she didn't bother to give me time to answer. I guess because she thought she knew what it was. She stood up and started to leave. "I'm out of here. Get healed, get better, and stay out of Caroline's way from now own. Otherwise she'll tear you apart."

"Is that why you didn't hit her back?"

Shreya stopped in mid stride, her back still to me. Her shoulders deflated. "Not a damn thing she said was a lie. I'm not worthy of my house. What was hitting her going to do except give her the excuse she wanted to prove it? Not that she needed help with that. You did that just fine."

Now I might not always be the brightest mind there ever was in the world, but I could start to make connections when I had enough information. "This Zara and Adada-"

"Aadya."

"Yeah, that one. Are they like heroes or something?" I mean, I already got they were relatives or ancestors of hers.

Shreya turned just a bit and gave me a look of pure venom. "They're among the greatest. Both gave their lives for the Seireitei. The highest honor any of us could have."

"That's a lot to live up to."

Shreya flinched. "Shup up. You don't know anything about it."

"So you come from a long line of warriors. Lot of pressure to be a good as they were. Not that complicated."

"I said shut up!" Shreya shouted. "Not another word from you."

I didn't need to ask any more questions. It's an old story with new variations. There was a kid in my class growing up whose dad was some big time physicist. Pushed his kid hard all the time. But numbers and science just weren't this kid's thing. His strengths lay elsewhere. It's an old story, and it didn't end well because neither one could accept the truth of what this kid wasn't supposed to be. So I got to see that kid splattered all over a sidewalk, and his dad got to identify what was left in the morgue.

"So my combat skills suck right now. I'll improve. I'll show you, and I'm definitely going to show her," Shreya said. "I would have done better than you against her anyway. You can't rescue shit as you are." Then she left.

"And she says I'm the one with pride issues."

Xxxxxxxxx

Ever had one of those dreams where you know your dreaming? I guess a lot of people do, but every now and again I meet someone who doesn't know how that can happen to anybody. So I guess it's a thing that just happens to some people and not others. I was in my room again, the one I had back in my house where I'd first met Rukia.

"Ichigo," Rukia said in a sultry voice. I mean, she sounded like herself, but the tone was all wrong. The door to my room opened and there she was, framed in the entryway. Hint number two something was wrong. She slept in my closet and left through the window. She never came in through that door. The pose wasn't right either, with one hand on her hip. "Hope killing all of those Hollows hasn't tired you out?"

I'm going to try and pretend that dream me didn't have one of those comically smooth lines to say back to her. Yes, dream me said things without my consent. No, I'm not going to repeat them. Just no. What I said, and by "I" I mean dream me, made Rukia's smile slyly. That's all you need to know. It's not for virgin ears, or really anyone with a sense of dignity. Did I mention dream me said it without real me okaying it? So therefore it wasn't really me.

"I'm glad to hear that." Rukia nudged the door closed with her bare foot. "I missed you."

"You've been around me all day," I said. Dream me said, I mean. Whatever. This whole thing was confusing.

Rukia bounded over to the bed and jumped on it. Then she crawled over me, putting a leg on either side of my hips. I could feel her warmth through my pants and hers. Rukia trailed a finger up my chest with one finer, while talking my right hand in her left and bringing it up for a kiss. She peppered my knuckles and then the palm of my hand with her lips. "I still missed you. In so many ways." She rocked her hips just a little over mine. Yes, my body reacted. Yes, she ground against me. I mean, this dream was a little too realistic.

"You could have had me at any time. Normal people can't see us in spirit form, Rukia. You could have taken me out there and no one would have known." Remember that this wasn't really me talking, it was the dream version of me.

"Ichigo, you exhibitionist," Rukia said in that overly sweet, fake tone she used at school. Then her voice deepened to its normal register. "If only the others knew."

"I don't plan on sharing anything like that with anyone else." I moved the same hand she'd been kissing to touch her cheek. Then I pulled her into the kiss. God, I wonder if her lips really tasted like that. I mean, it was just a dream, right? I had no real experience with Rukia or any other girl. So how did I have any way of knowing what it was like.

The kiss started out soft. She pulled away, then swooped back in for another quick, soft kiss. Then a third. This one lasted a while before deepening. Rukia let out a little moan. The next kiss wasn't the sort of chaste one you'd expect to see in a family film I'll say that much. She started to ground her hips into me. Things just pretty much went from there. My hands were everywhere; her hands were everywhere. There was kissing. Lots of kissing. I don't feel comfortable relaying some of the things that were said. Fuck though, it felt awesome. The sort of awesome beyond anything you could do to yourself

Then she pulled back. That was when I noticed the girl on top of me was wearing my sister's pajamas just like she did in real life. Unlike in real life, where that would have shut down the whole lower system's apparatus, it didn't deter. Slowly, Rukia reached up and began to undo the buttons.

Course I woke up then, finding myself back in the medical wing. I'm not sure whether to be relieved or furious that I can never actually get to the best part of a sex dream. Shit though, Rukia wasn't someone I needed to be having those kind of dreams about, and she would never act like she did in that dream. Fuck, she's how old again? That's like dreaming of having an uber-cougar pounce on you. Hopefully, this would be the last time I'd have this dream, and even if it wasn't, I could wait it out. The last time I had a rash of dirty dreams was about two years ago. They were of Orihime then, back before I ever really got to know her when all the crazy shit started happening. Those dreams faded. Eventually. These would too. Besides, how much would I really be seeing of her? I would be in the academy for years. She was a proper Shinigami and had a job to do. Yeah, the distance would let this little thing fade no problem.

Besides, she deserved better than to be reduced to just some fantasy in my head. The woman had saved my life. I owed her better than that. That thought didn't stop me from imagining her though. Fuck. The guys from school were right. She was beautiful.

Xxxxxxxxx

(Rukia POV)

I didn't know if my contact, for I doubt he would accept my calling him friend, would be waiting for me when I reached Karakura Town. We'd arrange a place and time that he would sit every night. A park bench not far from his home. He'd wait for fifteen minutes. Then he'd leave. That was what we talked about.

"I didn't know you'd still be coming here at night. It's been a while now," I said as I leapt down from the telephone pole to the hard ground below.

"It's been seventeen days. You warned me that you might be imprisoned for years if your trial didn't go your way," Ishida said, pushing up his glasses with his remaining hand. His other arm ended before the elbow, and was still wrapped in bandages.

"Would you really have waited for years, Uryuu?"

"Maybe. There's no way to know." Ishida shifted to make himself more comfortable on the bench. He also glanced around to make sure we were alone. There was no need. We'd both have sensed anyone approaching.

I sighed and laid one hand on the hilt of my sword. Guess there was nothing left to do but continue as we'd planned. "I've been accepted back. No punishment has been leveled against me."

"I see you didn't come back with an army. So I'm guessing that means you didn't sell me out."

"I told you, I would protect all of you. Though you have to know that Soul Society is probably already aware of your existence. They were watching your grandfather. I also kept Kon and Uruhara a secret as well. No one is coming to clean things up. I have made a note that this place sees an unusual amount of Hollow activity, so they may assign new Shinigami here."

"I'll keep my head down then, just in case, and hold off on killing Hollows. Not sure I could now anyway." The last bit Ishida said softer than the first.

"Because of your arm?" My guess made sense. He needed both hands fight. One to summon the bow, the other to use it.

"No, I found a way around that."

"How?"

"That is none of your concern." Ishida shifted so that his could glare at me properly. "You're a Shinigami. I'm a Quincy. We're not friends. We don't chat or share secrets. We have mutual a goals, so I'm still speaking to you. You don't get to ask questions of me."

I gulped, and nodded. "Fine. I've found Ichigo. He's been accepted in the Seireitei and is being trained to be one of us. With luck, he'll pass."

"So Ichigo wasn't Hollowfied." I could have sword that relief crossed Uryuu's face as he spoke, but the look vanished swiftly. "What about the others?"

I shook my head. "No sign of them. It is likely as I feared." I'd checked what was left of their bodies after Ichigo passed on. Their chains were severed and there was no sign of the soul passing on properly. My visit to Soul Society had only confirmed my suspicions. "They're Hollows."

Ishida took a deep, sharp breath and his shoulders slumped. I never thought I'd see him look so shaken. Then again, I never thought I'd see him up and about so soon after what happened to him seventeen days ago. "You asked why I couldn't kill Hollows."

"And you said I didn't get to ask you questions."

"Huh, I guess I did." He reached up with his remaining hand to remove the glasses. Then he brought his eyes up to meet mine, the moonlight glinting off of them eerily. "It's because every Hollow I see could be them, just so monstrous and twisted now that I can't recognize them. If I shoot to kill, I could destroy their soul. Chad, Orihime, Tatsuki. None of them deserve that. I can't fight to kill anymore. Not against them."

"You've seen more Hollows here?"

"Yeah. I have. One of them tried to kill me as soon as I got out of the hospital. Would have if…." He trailed off. "It doesn't matter. I'm going to become stronger."

I couldn't help but think that statement reminded me of Ichigo. "How?"

"Again. My secret. I don't mind telling you the plan though. You know about Heuco Mundo, right?"

"Yes," I said in barely above a whisper. "We all do. Armies disappear into that place. Even captains would be consumed."

"Yeah. Its hell there. But it's the place we've got to go if we're going to find them. I'm going to practice. Increase my power while learning to strike without killing. Got to save that for someone with a Zanpakuto. At least until I'm sure the Hollow I'm fighting isn't them."

"Do you think other souls aren't worthy of redemption?"

"Other souls aren't my concern. Only those souls that belong to people I'm responsible for. That's all. Anyway, back to the plan." He rested his hand on his knee. "And you should let Ichigo know because it rests on that stupid bastard. When he's ready, I'm going to Hueco Mundo. We're going to get them back."

"Are you a fool? You'll both die."

"Not if we're ready when we go. It may take years, but we're going."

"You sound so sure that he'll follow you. You're not even friends." Even as I said it, I knew Ichigo would do.

Ishida must have known too because he smirked. "Ichigo will go. That's one thing he and I both get. He might have actually made a halfway decent Quincy if he hadn't been corrupted by his tenure as a substitute Shinigami. That and been trained. And if he weren't a jackass. Or stupid." The list of negative things Ichigo was went on for a bit.

"He'll have responsibilities once he's a Shinigami."

"He won't see those responsibilities as outweighing his loyalty to his friends. You'll see." Ishida narrowed his eyes. "Don't you dare not pass on this message. If he decides he doesn't want to go along with it, that's fine. If he becomes like the rest of you, then that's his choice. He deserves the chance to make it. You'll tell him what I have in mind. Right?"

I gulp, feeling emotion catch in my throat. But I nodded. "I'll pass it on." I already knew what Ichigo would say. I also knew that I'd follow him.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Yep, definitely don't own Bleach. This work is fan made and not for profit. Note that this an AU and premise will become clear as the story unfolds.

Chapter 5

I guess it is fair to say I didn't have much experience in libraries, and the one at the Spiritual Arts Academy was fucking huge. The book numbering system was complicated beyond all reasoning and the sections were laid out in an order that had to be devised by a madman, or at the very least a very resentful and bored librarian that wanted to fuck with students. There also wasn't an obvious helpdesk like there would be in the real world. Who build this place?

Part of me was tempted to ask one of the many students I passed by in my wanderings for directions, but they were always in little study groups. I got too embarrassed by the idea of admitting to all of them at the same time I didn't know where I was going. I mean, one on their own, maybe. Not a group though. So I kept on looking.

The first loner I found wasn't exactly what I was expecting. Now, there are people of pretty much all ages and races here at the Spiritual Arts Academy. There's actually an old dude with a white beard in my first year class. There's no telling who will end up demonstrating the proper knowledge and spiritual pressure to eventually become a Shingiami. This guy was certainly in that older crowd, looking like a man in his 30s, maybe his 40s, with long dark hair and a lot of scruff. He'd managed to shove himself under one of the sectioned off desks that were intended for study.

"Hey, uh, you," I said as I nudged him with my toe.

All I got in response was more snoring.

"Wake up for a moment. I've got a question for you."

The man gave a snort like a big and sat up, slamming his head into the desk above. Then he crawled out, rubbing his hand through his messy locks. I wasn't sure if he was pushing them back into place or trying to massage the bump that must be forming on his head. "Ouch," the man said after the fact.

"Bet that hurt," I said as I looked him over.

This guy wasn't wearing a school uniform. He was wrapped up in a pink coat dotted with flowers, and beneath it I could make out parts of a proper Shinigami's uniform. Behind him I could see several empty sake bottles. "My fine fellow," he said a conversational tone, "do you mind telling me where I might be."

"Uh, you're at the Spiritual Arts Academy. In the library." I pointed at the shelves. "Stacks of books are usually a giveaway."

"Not if you know my sweet Nano-chan, my boy." He clapped me on the shoulder like we were old friends. "Hello there, um, what is your name?"

"Ichigo Kurosaki."

"Ah, well it's good to meet you. I just wanted to ask a question, really."

"Ask away." He spread his arms, also making his pink coat spread out like butterfly wings.

"I'm looking for, uh, the history section."

"Well that's unspecific. Let's just say Soul Society's had no shortage of people wanting to record their histories. That section mind as well be an annex all its own. Are you looking for living world histories? Soul Society's history? The Quincy War?"

"I guess I'm looking for biographies. I think the names I'm looking for are Zara and…." I struggled to remember what Shreya had said. "The second starts with an a. Um Adaya. Aadna. Something like that."

"Aadya Desai?" The long haired man said helpfully.

"Yeah that one. Among others."

"Studying Shinigami war heroes for class?"

"No, just a personal thing." I didn't want to say any more than that.

"One moment." My new friend finished a wide hat out from under the desk he'd been using a nest. "Alright. Let's get going. Follow me."

"You know where you're going right?" I asked as I watched the man in front of me sway back and forth.

"Of course I do. I've been through this place plenty of times."

"So you're an active Shinigami, huh?" I had no idea how many graduates actually came here to use the library for things.

"You could say that, yes. I've been around the block a time or two. Why the interest in Zara and Aadya."

"Just been thinking a bit. About people who died for things you know?"

"In spite of your glorious eloquence, I do know. You're that place where you've got some awareness of just how much you owe the dead before you, but want to live your own life. It's a confusion spot of bother to be in, let me tell you."

I waited for a few seconds as we walked then ask. "What are you going to tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

"You said 'let me tell you', so I'm waiting."

"I already did tell you."

"What are you talking about?" How drunk was this bastard? I kept following him though. It wasn't like he could get me more lost in this massive building.

"Maybe I'm pushing too much of how I've thought about it off on you. It's not like I know what's going on in your head." The scruffy guy's head and hat bobbed as he talked. His pink cloak billowed out behind him. "I've lost a lot of friends. A lot of soldiers I served with. Doesn't matter if your service extends over a whole mortal life or as long as a Shinigami can exist, you go on long enough as what we are, you're going to lose friends. Time isn't kind to memories, my friend. Even the traumatic, vivid ones. After a while, the reflective sort of fellow has to wonder what things he does remember are right or not, and other things have faded so much he struggles to grasp them. I struggle to grasp them."

"What? Are you saying you don't remember your friends faces?"

The guy with the cloak stopped and turned to give me a sad look. "Much to my shame, yes. I've lived many centuries, Ichigo. I've fought many battles. I've seen many friends die. And after a while the faces disappear. You remember the mangled bodies or the empty seats left behind. You remember crying widows or the children left behind. But the sound of your friends' voices? Those fade. Their face? Those go too. On one of the walls of the compound of my Division, that's where we scribe the name of every single Shinigami from our ranks who has fallen. I didn't know them all. I couldn't know them all. Even the ones I did now slowly have become just names after a time. Do you understand why that haunts me so? Why my relief at the freedom of memory turns to guilt."

I watched the guy quietly, a mix of emotions flooding me. "But they died for us, didn't they?"

"Tell me, Ichigo. How many of the people who have died for you and the world that now exists, regardless of what side they were on, do you think about every day? How much time do you spend paying your respects to centuries, if not millennia of soldiers who have given the greatest sacrifice of all for one cause or another, even if it was not your own. Could you even live out each day of your life if you tried to honor every one?"

"I don't know," I whisper as much to myself as this drunk guy.

"I don't either." The strange Shinigami pulled a book from the wall and handed it to me. "Zara and Aadya will both be in here, along with many others. I don't know how to properly respect the dead. After all, if you or a close friend died, wouldn't you want to be remembered? Sure, there are heroes in there worth remembering. Just also think of all those names on the wall that don't have books written about them, and that their sacrifices weren't any less."

I stared at the book, feeling its weight in my hand. I felt cold on the outside and the pain of shame in my chest as I remember how callously I'd spoken of history to Shreya. "History is people," I said. I mean, duh, it is. But when you're in a classroom having it spewed at you, and all you want is to get out, sometimes you don't stop to think about just how much it all really mattered.

"That's why it's worth remembering, my boy."

"Captain Kyoraku!" A high pitched voice shrieked from behind me. I whirled and so did the stranger to see what the commotion was about. Standing behind us was the librarian, a panicked look on her face. "Captain, I didn't know you'd be coming here today. You should have given me some notice. I would have-"

"Captain!?" I shouted. I'd learned enough by now to get the significance.

The captain rubbed the back of his head. "Name's Kyoraku Shunsui, m'boy. And it was nice meeting you. Sorry about sneaking in here, ma'am, but I needed a place to hide from my lieutenant for a while. She'd never suspect I'd be in here." He turned to me and put a bottle in my other hand. "This is my secret recipe for good grades."

"Sake?" He'd just given me booze.

The librarian just stood in horrified silence, mouth agape, as she watched a man she couldn't gainsay give a student something he really shouldn't be having.

"I'll take my leave, Ichigo. Remember what I said."

Xxxxxxxxx

Zanjutsu is the Shinigami fighting art that deals with weapons, a class we didn't even get to until four weeks in. I say weapons instead of swords because it's a little more complicated than just using the kind of blades most zanpakuto appeared to be.

"You might find your zanpakuto has transformed into a completely different weapon than the one you trained with for years, decades, or even centuries. And you realize that all those hours you spend practicing with a bokken against your fellow students was for nothing. In that scenario, you die," the professor leading the first zanpakuto lesson said. "Think also what that might mean for you if a traitorous Shinigami's blade changes into a weapon you've never learned to counter."

"That's happened?" A student Ichigo didn't know asked.

"Yes, multiple times. Many Shinigami have forsaken their oaths or gone astray in other ways. Centuries of service weigh upon the mind, and the power we wield can easily corrupt. Its why we pay so much attention to your moral education here at the Spiritual Arts Academy."

I'll say they paid a lot of attention to it. Five straight years of finger-waggling "don't fuck up" classes to look forward to.

"Like you can learn shit like right and wrong from a book." I must have spoken louder than I meant to because everyone turned to look at me.

"Descartes, Plato, Hume, and many of the greatest moral minds humanity had to offer thought otherwise. Indeed, a great deal of human literature, if not most of it, deals with the idea that morals must be analyzed and challenged through intellectual forms. Denying the intellectual challenging of morality has historically always proven one of the most effective means of ensuring moral deprivation throughout history. See Plato's _Apology_ to-"

"Fuck all this talking about duty and honor. None of is going to compare to what you know in your gut to be right or wrong," I said.

"Really?" The professor quirked an eyebrow.

"Yeah, in the heat of battle, that's going to be what keeps you going, not some fucking moral idea."

"Indeed? I doubt in the moment your blood is pumping and you fear death you'll be thinking about much anything besides the basest of things. That is natural, but what about the moments in between? The moments that define what those life and death struggles even mean. Who can tell me the flaws in this first year's logic?"

None of the other first years spoke up.

"I'd love to answer, if you'll allow, professor."

I blanched at the sound of the voice and looked for its point of origin. There were several upperclassmen up against one wall. I assumed so that they could assist the professor. This was the largest class I'd seen yet. The one who'd stepped forward and spoken up was Caroline.

"Go ahead." The professor didn't know it, but she'd just given permission for a battle to commence in her class.

"Tell me, first year, you come of late from the world of the living. Is that right?" From the grin Caroline failed to suppress, I knew she already knew the answer to that question.

"Yeah."

"Good, so have I. So my examples will make sense to you. Do you think that centuries before the general present of the modern day that everyone thought that slavery was wrong deep in their guts and just ignored it? Or that there were people that needed to do some convincing to make others come round to their point of view."

"What kind of stupid question is that? Anyone could look at someone enslaved and see a human being. Yeah, it's pretty clear it was wrong."

"Do you think so? Then why did it exist in so many forms throughout human history. Do you think everyone just ignored that inner voice, or was it culturally acceptable at the time, something that needed to be changed by people willing to challenge that belief." Caroline gave a dramatic pout. "Perhaps most importantly, intellectually and morally. If that's too obscure for you or doesn't apply to every situation, think of it like this. If we left moral decisions of justice or what is best only up to our emotions, our gut reactions, the people that would benefit from them most are ourselves and those we personally value; those out of sight will remain out of mind. Surely, you can find some examples from your lives where people were so morally short sighted. Actually thinking about what is right or wrong, or about the consequences of our choices, is among the most important duties a Shinigami will ever have. It will help us avoid situations where we end up betraying our duty and letting all of our friends die." The hardened look she gave me at this told me one thing: she knew my story. She knew about my failure.

That shouldn't be surprising. I'm sure people had to ask questions about where the three new students had come from, and I'm sure some of the staff knew my history. Stuff like that has got to leak out if my experience of high school was any indication, but the fact that this girl knew about my failure shook the fuck out of me, but not nearly as much as the fact she was right. I'd failed.

"You should consider actually thinking about the choices you make and the consequences in the wider scheme of things so that you don't have to say do yourself 'I just let all my friends die and get eaten by Hollows' or 'I failed to consider the consequences of my actions and who they hurt'. It's just common sense."

The professor too must have known about me and that Caroline's example was way too specific because she took charge again. "Thank you. We're getting off track though, so let us continue on. Zanjutsu is primarily based around the form most Zanpakuto and all Asauchi take: that of a katana, wakizashi, tachi, or kodachi. Thus the mainstay blade forms will be useful to almost all present, unless your swords take on a new form once they're finished their transformation from Asauchi into Zanpakuto." The professor smiled. "There's usually one student every year or two who is rather surprised to one day find his katana has become something different when he hits a big breakthrough in his final year. Thus, we're going to spend time making many of the weapons created through human history your close friends." The professor spread her arms and pointed to two different walls of the chamber. She must have used her Kido silently because they moved on their own, revealing racks lined with more weapons than I'd ever imagined possible. Some I recognized, like flails, maces, warhammers, spears, broadswords, sickles and knives, but there were others I'd never even imagined.

Gasps and appreciative murmurs came from the crowd. As for me, I was still too shaken up by Caroline's words to care. My chest felt hollow, and a deep pain throbbed behind my ribs. I had failed my friends. What did I know about right and wrong? I was fucking scum.

"You'll know them all eventually, and the basic moves and counters of each. We don't have time to make you a master of any. That takes a lifetime of training. We also can't tell you what kind of Zanpakuto yours will end up becoming, if any of you ever end up with something beyond an Asauchi at all. All we can teach you are what we think are the most important lessons a warrior can learn. What we think will allow you to serve the Gotei 13 to the best of your ability. Eventually, and by that I mean years from now, we'll move onto some of the more mystical sword techniques most Shinigami learn. Now, by the sounds of it you've all had your fill of theory classes, so I'm going to have the upperclassmen divide you up into groups and we're going to get bokkens in your hands as soon as possible. Best way to learn is the do, I always say. I'll be moving between groups and instructing each of you in turn, but the upperclassman in charge of your group is going to provide most of your instruction. Listen to them and show them the respect you would show a professor."

As soon as the upperclassmen started to group us up, I knew I was fucked. Caroline slipped through the crowd like a snake squeezing through cracks towards prey. There wasn't anything I could do when she stopped in front of me and grinned. "You're with me, carrot top. Now go stand over there." She indicated a stone pillar with her thumb.

Fuck.

Xxxxxxxxx

"You sure you don't want to go to the medical wing?" Caleb asked as he helped me down the hall.

Every ginger step filled me with agony. "Fuck. I'm not letting her send me up there again." Guess who got to be the person Caroline used as an example throughout the whole lesson? This guy.

"How are you going to survive a year of this. You're bleeding. From," he paused to count, "three different places."  
"It's not so bad." She broke my clavicle. I know what that feels like. Yep, it's definitely broken.

"I think she's out to kill you. Really kill you. I mean this was supposed to be training and shit."

"Bigger monsters than her have tried. They didn't succeed."

"Uh, mate? They did. You're here."

I grunted as Caleb took another step and a jolt of pain lanced through my body. Ribs. There are some ribs fucked up too. "Oh yeah."

Caleb stopped. "We need to take you to the medical wing."

"I'm fine." It's the response I always give.

"I don't understand. In the outer districts, there were no authorities. Now we're in the center, where the authorities practically live, and we're training to be, well, you know. Why isn't anyone doing something about this. She did you a nasty one in the hall, and now she's pounding the holy shit out of you in training. She might actually kill you if this sort of stuff keeps up or if she escalates it even a little bit. The professor was right there several times. She had to have noticed it. I thought things were going to be better here."

"Did you?" I actually managed a grin. "I didn't. Bad things could happen to me and my friends all the time in front of people with the power to stop it. No one did. I had to look out for myself. Its why I don't go running to be tattletale now." My life hadn't taught me much respect for authority figures, and this place wasn't improving my perspective on that. "Besides, I think this school has its own 'eat or be eaten' code going on in the background. As much as this place is a school, I think that, behind it all, it is also a sort of proving ground. And a bully like Caroline? Until you give her reason to stop messing with you, she's not going to."

"She's stronger than you, and more skilled. She's a third year, and she's very good. I've been asking around about her since you pissed her off."

"What do you know?"

"Not much. Most people just have got stories of her destroying people. Not literally, you know. Most of the time. She's also a part of a gang of Shinigami girls here. Think the equivalent of that movie _Mean Girls_."

"Never heard of it."

"Well, they're uh, the vicious cliquey type. They're call the Plastics in that movie, I think. Now add on swords and a bad attitude. Caroline isn't top bitch among them, but the fifth year that is, well, she's going to be graduating this year. Way I see it, Caroline is on her way up."

"She won't be top dog when I'm done with her. Fuck." Again, trying to start moving again had hurt.

"That's it, we've going to the medical wing."

"I'm alright," I complained as Caleb started to haul me away. I didn't fight too hard.

Xxxxxxxxx

Hoho is the Shinigami art of movement. It's both a set of movement techniques on its own and a part of all of the other combat techniques we were to learn at the Spiritual Arts Academy. Footwork is a critical part of fighting. I learned that taking karate with Tatsuki. So in a way, Hoho is a part of everything we do. Then there's the special stuff our teacher hinted at. Some people can hover or even fly with Hoho techniques, and speed across great distances like a ninja in an anime.

Because Hoho is so critical to a Shinigami's success, the largest practices areas set aside for students' use are specifically intended for honing that skill. Sure, there are plenty of Zanjutsu training rooms with practice weapons and mats, and very sturdy rooms designed specifically to hold up against the many forms of Kido, but it was Hoho that was the principle skill held above all others. It also needed the widest spaces. It was in one of these practices areas that I eventually found Shreya. She zipped along sheer surfaces, her speed seemingly allowing her to defy the laws of gravity as I understood them for brief moments. It wasn't as fast as the instructors moved, but she was still impressive.

"Hey, Flash. Why don't you slow down for sec so we can talk," I shouted, announcing my presence and intent.

She must not have noticed I was there before I talked because she slowed down in surprise. Then with a yelp she rolled down the steep slope she'd been easily traversing before. The result was the expected one. She wound up in a heap at the bottom. Must have hurt because she stayed there for a bit before clambering to her feet. "What do you want?" Her voice shook as much as her body did.

"You okay."

"I'm fine. I just needed to concentrate. What did you want?" Irritation in her voice transformed into the coldness she'd exhibited from last time.

"To talk."

"I don't think we have anything to talk about," Shreya dusted off her uniform. Despite her words, she walked towards me anyway.

"Well, I got something to say. Hope you'll stick around to listen to it."

She didn't leave, but she didn't say anything. She just stared at me.

I rubbed the back of my head. "Look, I thought a lot about what you said. Been arguing it over in my head. Honestly, I thought it was stupid at first. Then it started to make sense. Then it sounded stupid again as I thought about it more and realized that you were way off on a lot of things. I think everyone has to have their pride. Everyone. You have yours, and that's part of why you're pissed."

"So this is supposed to be a you telling me I'm totally wrong about everything sort of conversation?" She rolled her eyes. "Go fornicate with a tree." She turned to go.

"That's not what I said."

She turned back. "Then hurry up. I've got work to do."

"You made some good points. I would have reacted differently to a guy being treated like that than a girl. I've stopped dudes from getting bullied. A friend of mine, Chad, used to get it a lot. I'm from the world of the living, a place called Japan. You heard of it?"

Shreya nodded. "Yes, I have. I'm was born in soul society, but I've studied earth. I always wanted to see it. Chad doesn't sound like a Japanese name though."

"His real name was Yasutora Sado, but we all called him Chad. I think he was actually of mixed Mexican and Japanese descent, but his non-Japanese heritage was really apparent. He was also pretty big, big enough to frighten most dudes off. Then they realized he wouldn't fight back. That didn't go well for him. I know other people noticed it before me, but I don't think they did anything because he was a big dude and should be able to take care of himself. That or they didn't want to mess with the dudes he was up against. They were the nasty kind, the sort that will kill a person. I like to tell myself I didn't know how bad it was. I mean, everyone had problems, me more than most with my hair being what it was, or so I thought. The selfishness of a stupid kid. Anyway, Chad got between me and some really bad dudes. Saved me from a beat down, but didn't even throw a punch to defend himself. He stepped in and took the hits for me. Later I came upon him about to get nearly killed by guys he wouldn't fight to stop. He stepped up for me, but no himself, and he wasn't going to hurt anybody, even if it killed him. So I moved to help him. Eventually it got to the point where he was willing to fight for me and I for him."

"Where is he now?"

I sighed. "He's dead. He died fighting beside me. A lot of people around here already seem to know I've got a history, right?"

"Yes. They know you know a Kuchiki and that two captains spoke up for you, and that your two friends got in because of you. You're the first substitute Shinigami in a very long, and things went bad in your duties in the material world.

"Yeah, well, that's me. The idiot who let power and responsibility go to his head and lost everything. My friends were fighting there with me that last time. They'd developed some weird powers too. Haven't seen anything like that shit since I got here." I sighed. Now we were getting to the part I really didn't want to tell. "Things got real bad in that last fight. Hollows were everywhere. There came a point where we were all getting overwhelmed. I saw both Chad and Orihime getting attacked. I was stuck. I had to help one or the other. Chad must have noticed Orihime too because he called out to me to go after her. I mean, that's what we were both taught good guys do. We felt it here." I thumped myself on chest. I tried to make it nonchalant, almost comical, even though I was being serious. "And she wasn't a fighter. She had the softest heart of all of us. It made sense. She needed protecting. Even if Chad hadn't said it, I would have gone to her first. Maybe you might see it as sexist, maybe it's because I've got two little sisters and that's just what I do since I've been protecting them my whole life. It is what a big brother does. Its why we're born first."

"What are their names?"

"Karin and Yuzu."

"My little brother's name is Sanjay, and I'd cut the eyes out of someone's head if they hurt him."

"Wow, you are a softy," I tried to laugh and make it sound good natured, but the story I was telling wouldn't allow humor.

"What happened, Ichigo?"

"Chad died because I didn't save him. I didn't even end up being able to save Orihime either. They died except for Rukia, and maybe Uryuu. I didn't see him go down. He had a higher position than the rest of us, but after a while he stopped firing. Can't help but think that means the worst. I wasn't strong enough to save them, and I wasn't strong enough to beat Caroline the other day either. The point is, I have stepped in to save a guy before too, but it didn't mean I would see things the same way if it were a guy in danger instead of a girl. It makes a difference to me. I've been taught that a good guy protects women. It's what he should do. It is what feels right. I've been brought up to protect people, most of all women and children."

"You beginning to grasp how putting those two together is just a little insulting? You're equating women's ability to protect themselves with that of children. I mean, Soul Society has been around for a while, so a lot of the souls we get come here with attitudes just like that that, but the culture of the Seireitei is something all on its own, and it's a culture shock to a lot of people who see gender roles as absolute and fixed. Those people either adapt or they don't. Here women are warriors, scribes, leaders, medics, sorcerers and everything else, just like men are warriors, scribes, leaders, medics, sorcerers and everything else. There's a reason a lot of people who come from a particular set of cultural values tend to form communities together here in Soul Society. That way they don't have to grow and change to deal with the other souls coming over." She sighed. "But I'm talking too much. You're not the first person I've met who has hard time adapting."

"I get that, but I mean, I don't come from the Dark Ages of Europe, so I don't exactly see myself like…." I run my hand through my hair. "But I do see you different, and even though I get why that's insulting it still feels right to be the guy who protects the people. It's my name means." It also meant strawberry in its feminine form, but he wasn't about to admit that. Maybe Shreya wouldn't know that. "Protecting people feels right. Protecting women feels right."

Shreya sighed, but no longer looked very angry. "Sounds like a bit of a struggle."

"Yeah."

"Do you think you will be able to one-day fight beside a woman and trust that you're not going to have to turn right around and save her? Can you trust she's capable of doing her duty and protecting you while you're doing yours?"

"Yes," is what I wanted to say. That was the right answer. But this was one of those moments where I was a little bit more honest with myself and how I thought about it. "Maybe one day. That's part of being a student, right? Learning."

"Not every girl wants a hero, Ichigo."

That irked me a bit. "I'm not doing it to get the girl, and I'm not doing it to be a hero. I protect people because-"

"It feels right," Shreya said in what I assumed was an impression of me. "Yeah, you said that already. A lot. Your inner turmoil is just a little bit annoying. You whine a lot."

I grit my teeth. "You don't say. Well, you'd know. Every time we've talked you've been whining."

"This is a hand sign from your world, right? One you understand?" Shreya flipped me off with an innocent smile plastered all over her face.

"Actually this is the way you do it." I brought up both hands, middle fingers up.

Shreya laughed and we both dropped the offensive gestures.

"How the fuck do you move so fast?"

Shreya moved a bit of the hair that had gotten in her face. When the strand fell right back down she blew it up with a puff of air. It didn't stay, much to her irritation. "Advanced Hoho."

"I got that part. I'm taking the class, but damn, we're doing nothing like that."

"You won't for a while. You're a first year."

"What year are you?"

"Third, but this is the one discipline where I excel. I might struggle with the others, but I'm better than a lot of fifth years at Hoho. Most students here find an area they excel in, something that comes to them more naturally than everything else. Hoho is mine." Shreya raised her head a bit as she said that. "I might even be able to flash step before I graduate. Even a lot of proper Shinigami can't do that."

"What's flash step?"

Shreya stared at me again for a moment. "Are you having me on?"

"What? No. What is flash step?"

"It's the ultimate technique of Hoho. A Shinigami who uses it moves faster than the eye can detect. To someone who isn't a Hoho master themselves it would probably look like teleportation."

I scratched my chin as I considered this. I'd thought the most important part of Hoho was how it influenced the other styles. You know, proper footwork and how to move to maximize the effect of Zanjutsu and Hakuda. Even though I knew about some of the strange moment techniques like the super jumps and things like that, seeing it was something else.

"Is Caroline a Hoho specialist as well?"

No." Shreya shook her head. "It's the one area I'm better than her in. She's all about Zanjutsu and Hakuda. She's horror up close."

"Did you just say she was a whore?"

Shreya flushed and then started laughing uncontrollably. "I said a horror," she tried to say, but she could barely form the words through fits of giggles.

"Sure you did."

"I did." More giggling. It was like she was having a fit.

"So if I want to find her again, what street corner should I be looking on."

Now it looked like Shreya was having a fit. She was trying to say something, but now it was gibberish. This went on for almost a minute.

"You feeling okay?"

"I'm doing, yeah, good." Shreya straightened up.

"With that speed, could you beat her?" I finally asked.

"No," she said with a shake of her head. "Speed's not everything. She'd good enough to at least keep up, and she's too damn strong. She might also be a third year, but some people say she was powerful enough to graduate early, but she pissed someone off, so she's going through like everyone else."

"Doesn't matter how powerful she is. She's hurting people and I'm going to stop her."

"This isn't a pride thing, is it? You being bothered that a girl is stronger than you?"

"It is a pride thing, and while I'm beginning to get I've got some issues to work out with, well a lot relating to girls, that isn't one of them." Tatsuki knocking the shit out of me a lot as a kid meant I never labored under the delusion that girls couldn't be stronger than boys. Hell, even when I was a substitute Shinigami I still thought of Tatsuki as stronger than me. "Let's just say I got a lesson early on in my life that women can be powerful to. Losing to a girl doesn't bother me. Losing to someone who is going to go on hurting people. That's a big problem."

Shreya nodded. "I can get that."

"Did you say that you can dig that?"

"No, I said 'get that'."

"Say 'I can dig it'." I half hoped she would. It would sound so funny.

"I'm not indulging your childish humor."

"I'm not the one who can't hear the word horror and keep a straight face."

Yep, she cracked up, even though she tried to fight it. "Do you mean whore?"

"No, I don't. Where is your mind going?"

"Shut up, Ichigo."

"Will you teach me?" I finally said what I was thinking.

"Teach you what?"

"This Hoho thing. I'm behind on a lot and I need to catch up quick if I'm going to beat Caroline. You're the best person I know at it now, and you've got reason to want to see her taken down a peg too."

"She's not someone you want to take on. Once she's got it in for you, that's it. She's going to destroy you, over and over if she can."

"She's already got it in for me, so I'm already screwed, right."

Shreya hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah, that's true."

"Will you teach me?"

"You going to stop being a knight in shining armor type with me?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'll work on that."

"So next time you see someone messing with me, you're going to keep walking?" She raised one eyebrow, as though daring me to answer the question wrong.

"No, I'm going to step in and stop that shit."

"Have you learned nothing?" She all but shouted.

"I may be a slow learner, but I still do learn. I won't treat you like a girl that needs rescuing. But fuck anyone who thinks I'm not going to protect a friend of mine. Any of them. I don't care what's between your legs."

Shreya stared at me for a few moments. "We're friends?"

"I'd like us to be."

"If I follow your logic, then friends protect each other. Would you be okay with me swooping to protect you should you be in danger?"

The instinctive answer I almost gave was a no. I could take care of myself. That's the answer I would have given not too long ago. I could hear the tension in my voice as I fought my pride down and tried to give rational thought its day in the sun. "Yeah, that's fair. You look after me, I look after you."

"Like you did with Chad?"

"Yeah, like that."

"Alright then. Friends it is." Shreya wrinkled her brow after that though. "Ichigo. I want to warn of you something. Caroline can mess with you in a lot of ways. If she comes up to you and tries to make amends or apologize. If she starts talking to you, seems to know all the right things to say to get you to forgive her, and it seems like she's a good person. Don't buy it."

"Why would I fall for that shit?"

"Because everyone does when she turns on the charm. Especially if you don't know what she is. She can make anyone laugh once she starts to figure out what you like. She can make you feel like she's your sort of person. That you can forgive her anything. That you can tell her anything."

Yeah, I wasn't seeing it. I reached up and scratched that spot on my cheek that always itched. "I'm guessing there's some personal experience here."

Shreya nodded. The move was melancholic

"What did you tell her? Does she have, you know, something on you? Is that part of why you never hit back?"

Shreya's eyes widened, giving me that deer-in-headlights sort of look. Then she seemed to calm, now looking more tired than anything else. Her shoulders drooped too. "She likes to figure people out to learn what can hurt them the most. It's just what she does."

That wasn't an answer to my question. Still, I suppose I didn't need one. "So she whores herself out for secrets?"

Shreya smiled at me for but a moment, then she reached out and struck me on the chest with the palm of her hand. "Tag." Then she leapt away from me.

"What?"

"Best way to learn Hoho is to get used to moving. You got to learn to keep up. So catch me if you can, slow poke."

"Tag? We're really going to play tag? Are we kids?" I cried.

She was already shooting away.

"Fuck. I'm going to catch you in record time. You just wait." Then I gave chase.

So yeah, first year learning how to be a Shinigami. Go me. Oh, and I didn't catch her that day. Didn't even come close.


End file.
